The Benefits of Deleting Twitter | What Changed After I Deleted the App

Featured Image by Karayiib on Instagram

Hey guys! Been a minute? I hope you’re doing fine. Like I said on my last post (check it out here if you haven’t😚), I was going to write on how things have been for me since I deleted Twitter and what has changed. Glad I’m sharing this.

Before deleting twitter, I was pretty much just existing. The only reasonable thing I did outside of twitter was studying for school. Other than that, there was nothing much I did. I did read books though but not as much as I’d have liked to. In other words, being addicted to twitter made me miss out on some things until I deleted it.

Even though I didn’t start to notice the changes on time, when I looked back to see how far I’d come since that day, I found out that a lot (not so much) had changed. These are things I started doing more, things I used to wish and tell myself to make time for. So, in no particular order, these are the benefits and changes I’ve experienced since getting rid of Twitter.

I Read More Books

I read about 4 books in January after I deleted Twitter. Normally, I’d read only a book but reading 4 was such a big level up for me after so many years, I was happy. Early this year, I wrote about the books I’d read and made a goal to surpass that mark. Well, I have surpassed it and I’m really proud of myself, I haven’t done much this year but seeing that I’ve read a number of books I didn’t think I’d get to makes me so happy and I don’t think I’d have been able to do that if I was always on Twitter 24/7.

I Became More Creative

While my course is all about creativity, through and through (I’m studying Architecture btw), I know I didn’t put as much effort into it like I was supposed to. Before the pandemic escalated and we were all sent back home, I was actually enjoying coming up with ideas for the project they’d given us. I found myself getting inspiration from any and everything and wanting to try different things with my design. Besides that, my love for Photography deepened, I want to take pictures of anything and everything because I pay more attention now and can see the world for how beautiful she is. At home, with my project on hold (by yours truly😬), I paint more than I used to and this is because I didn’t really have the time to when I was always on Twitter. So, yet another reason why deleting the app has been good for me. Oh and I blog more now, I know I’m not the most consistent person ever (I’m working on it😔) but I’m so happy I get to finally focus on this blog now.

I’m More Present

Okay, this is not entirely true as I’m always finding myself constantly dreaming about the future or reminiscing about the past but, you get what I mean. Twitter was basically all I used my phone to do besides chatting with my friends because I rarely get phone calls. Since deleting the app, I was forced to focus on my surroundings and be present, notice things I didn’t use to before and have more clarified thoughts because spending too much time on Twitter left my brain a jumbled mess, it seemed.

My Mental Health Improved

I don’t find myself seething at random strangers on the internet (Twitter) these days or wanting to punch someone in the face or cry myself to sleep because someone made a rape joke that was triggering. Staying off twitter has improved my mental health in so many ways I didn’t realize. Even though I can still get depressed on some days, it doesn’t get as bad as it’d have been if I decided to distract myself with Twitter. Distracting myself with Twitter only made it worse, I realized later on. Focusing on healthy mechanisms like painting, decluttering and listening to music or exercising makes me feel better more than Twitter ever will.

I Don’t Care Much For Drama or Gossip Anymore

Ah, this is honestly one of the best parts. I used to feel so high and mighty about being up to date on drama and gossip going on on Twitter so I’d share with my friends on Whatsapp later, feeling like some hot inside journalist or something. I used to fear missing out on trending drama and gossip, I’d admit, but since I deleted the app, the world hasn’t ended. I don’t know what Kennedy did with Chioma when they used to live on the same street back in University and I’m not dead for not knowing and I honestly couldn’t care any less. Being so involved with people’s lives back then, I realize now, was pretty much a waste of time and I could have spent it doing other things, like writing this post for example or making a mood board.

I Exercise and Try to Be More Active

I used to be so active and sportive back in secondary school. I loved sports days so much I literally ran out whenever it was time to get our bodies moving. I just liked feeling high on all that blood rush and adrenaline. It was a boarding school and we weren’t allowed any gadgets whatsoever so Twitter wasn’t much of a problem back then. I graduated of course and the time I spent at home before uni, I spent on Twitter. Exercising or sports was thrown out of the window. I became really lazy and a slob and even when I entered uni, I still wasn’t very active. I played football sometimes but that was only when I was required to do so. Deleting Twitter earlier this year was pretty much a wake up call because if I hadn’t done it, Lord knows I wouldn’t be talking about how much fun exercising has been this quarantine and how it has helped me stay sane.

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This may not be all of the wonderful things that has happened since I deleted the app but these are the changes I’ve noticed and I’m so thankful for making that decision.

If I still had the app, I’d probably still be finding it hard to stay focused, exercise, read more books, do more of things I want to do and have a little bit piece of mind. So, this is me thanking the January me for making that decision, especially when it was not planned, and for sticking with it. I want to let her know that July me is doing just fine and reaping very beautiful benefits. I won’t download the app back anytime soon but I can log in once in a while if necessary. I still have a lot of things to uncover, things I’m probably not aware of and I’m really excited to. I didn’t know how bad 2020 would get but I think deleting Twitter this year has been one of my best decisions this year, so far.

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Thank you for reading yet another long post on my blog. I can’t remember the last time(other than yesterday) I had over a thousand words on a blog post.

Hey! If you got this far, thank you.

If you’d any bad experience with a social media platform and you took a break from it, I want to know how it worked for you. Did you notice any positive changes? Do you plan to take a break from (any) social media platform if it’s getting too bad for you there? Let me know your thoughts!

Also, this popped up on my page at the right time, haha, I thought I’d share.

View this post on Instagram

Lately, internet toxicity has been a recurring issue for many young audiences, especially teenagers. With many finding themselves with a social media time of 5+ hours a day, especially as a result of having to stay inside for so long, running into internet toxicity is a must. And running into it so often, especially with the events happening now, can be very distressing and somewhat upsetting to many audiences. And that’s why it’s important to learn how to deal with it in some way, shape or form, and learning that sometimes it’s okay to log off of that one social media account if it brings you some peace of mind in the long run!! And hey, if you ever need to talk about something that’s bugging you, out dms are open~ . Swipe to learn more about Internet Toxicity and how to deal with it! . Designed by @qhibli_studios Researched by @fizzybaguette . . . #plannr #consulting #plannrconsulting #planyourlife #empowerment #mentalhealth #mentalhealthactivism #mentalhealthempowerment #campaign #awareness #community #consultation #notforprofit #organization #tutoring #lifestyle #organized #planning #internet #internettoxicity #cancelculture #toxicity #socialmedia #teenagers #detox #youth #instagram #twitter #facebook #reddit

A post shared by Plannr Consulting (@plannrconsulting) on Jul 26, 2020 at 4:00pm PDT

P.S. If it’s getting too negative for you to be on any app, at the moment, I want you to know that it’s okay to take a break from it. It may be hard at first but if I could do it, you can too❤. Just find something positive to replace it with.

As always, stay safe.