What Happened When I Deleted Social Media (And Why I Don’t Miss It)

As I sit here on my couch, snuggled up under a blanket with a warm cup of coffee in my hands, I’m watching my girls play and realizing something I haven’t felt in a long time.

My mind is quiet.

A few months ago, I deleted social media. Not in some dramatic, life altering moment.. just in the middle of a really full season.

But somehow, that small decision has made one of the biggest impacts on my life and my mental health.

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Why I Deleted Social Media

At the time, I was in one of the busiest seasons of my career. I had three escrows of my own and two for my broker, and my brain felt completely maxed out.

I remember sitting down one night to “just scroll for a minute”… and then looking up an hour later wondering where the time went.

That was the moment it hit me.

I didn’t have time to be giving my attention away like that anymore.

And when I really sat with it, I realized it wasn’t just about time.

I had been quietly keeping a running list in the back of my mind of all the ways social media was draining me.

It had started to feel like a third arm.. always there, always within reach.

I would pick it up without thinking. While cooking, while sitting, while being with my kids. It was just.. constant.

And because I’m a really empathetic person, the things I saw didn’t just stay on the screen. If I saw something sad, I carried it. I would spiral, overthink, and suddenly feel this need to control everything in my own life.

Other times, I would see people doing incredible things. And I truly was happy for them.. but there was always this quiet questioning underneath it:

Am I behind? Am I doing enough? Why can I not get there?

And don’t even get me started on how easily I’m influenced.. I was constantly buying things I didn’t need. Convinced that they would somehow make my life better, prettier, more put together.

But the biggest thing I realized was this:

The time I was spending watching everyone else’s life was time I wasn’t fully living in my own.

And in real estate, I’m already on my phone all day. Calls, texts, emails.. it never really stops. So adding mindless scrolling on top of that? It meant that all my girls were really seeing was me with my nose in my phone. And I had this moment where I thought…

Is this what I want them to remember?

Because I don’t.

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The Quiet Felt Uncomfortable

At first, the quiet felt uncomfortable.

It was like my brain kept reaching for noise that wasn’t there anymore. I would pick up my phone automatically without even thinking. It was like it was a part of my routine that my body was used to.

My mind was expecting something.. stimulation, distraction, anything.

Now, I wish I could tell you that I deleted social media and instantly became Wonder Woman. That I cleaned my entire house, picked up new hobbies, became mom of the year..

But not quite.

Instead, I read an unhinged amount of fantasy books. And when I say unhinged, I mean I read like seven books in thirty days. It was honestly a little ridiculous… but I’ve just been giving myself grace and calling it my “detox phase.”

But then something interesting started to happen.

Those loud shouts slowly turned into quiet whispers.

That pressure social media creates.. the constant feeling that you need to make more money, work harder, take more trips, look prettier, buy more things.. It started to fade.

I hadn’t realized how invested I had become in everyone else’s lives. And I didn’t realize that comparison was draining me.. making me feel behind, like I wasn’t doing enough, wasn’t pretty enough, wasn’t productive enough.

Side note… I did keep Pinterest, and I have to mention that. But Pinterest feels different. It inspires creativity. It makes me want to do things, not compare myself.

Instagram, TikTok, Facebook… those left me feeling drained more often than not.

And once that loudness started to fade, I found myself reaching for different things.

Things that filled my cup up instead of taking from it.

I kept Reading my fantasy books, because apparently the only stories my brain wants right now involves fae, wings, swords and bat boys,

I started dreaming again. About cottage life. Slow, beautiful, intentional days.

I planned out an herb garden… a little prematurely since the herbs haven’t even hit the market yet, but that’s okay. I’m ready when they are.

I started researching berry plants and flowers with the girls so we can finally build the fairy garden we’ve talked about for years.

I’ve been spending more time outside with them, playing games or just sitting and watching them practice softball. (I’m the artistic parent, not the athletic one… so it’s best I stay on the sidelines and cheer them on.)

At night, I rest. I curl up on the couch and watch our girls play or perform little dances for us.. instead of scrolling, laughing at reels and going to bed with a mind that feels completely full and somehow empty at the same time.

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I Started Noticing My Life Again

Somewhere along the way, I stopped reaching for my phone.. and started noticing my life again.

Not in some big, life changing way. Just in small, ordinary moments that I think I had been missing before.

The way my girls play together in the living room, creating entire little worlds out of nothing.

The way the house feels in the late afternoon when the light starts to shifts and everything slows down just a little. Or earlier in the day when the sun filters into the house and we have all the windows open and can feel the fresh air.

The sound of them laughing outside, or practicing softball in the yard, or asking me to come watch something they’re proud of.

Before, those moments were happening around me.. but I don’t know if I was fully in them.

Now I am.

I’ve noticed the seasons changing again. The way the air feels a little softer, the way spring is starting to show up, gently making its way back.

I’ve found myself opening windows more, letting fresh air in, wanting to be outside instead of inside looking at a screen.

And it’s funny.. nothing about my life has drastically changed. I’m still a busy mom. I’m still running to practices, making dinner, managing a home, figuring things out as I go.

But it feels different.

Slower. Fuller. More present.

Like I’m actually here for it this time.

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The Life I Actually Want

And in the quiet… I started to realize what I actually want my life to look like.

I want to wear what makes me feel good.

I want my home to feel warm and welcoming.. like us. Not a perfectly curated, cookie cutter version of what I think it’s supposed to look like.

I want my kids’ artwork framed on the walls. Art that we made together. Not because it’s perfect, but because of the memories behind it—the laughing, the mess, the time spent together.

I want a garden that actually thrives.. because I’m outside tending to it, watering it, taking care of something slowly instead of rushing through everything.

I want my creativity to come back to life. I want to create more than I consume.

And more than anything.. I want my girls to grow up remembering that I was there. Not distracted. Not half listening. But looking them in the eyes, laughing with them, fully in the moment.

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I Don’t Miss It

And the truth is.. I don’t miss it.

If I’m being completely honest (always), I didn’t delete social media with some long-term plan in mind. I just needed zero distractions during one of the busiest seasons of my life. There was no room for mistakes and work needed my full attention.

I fully planned on downloading everything again once the deals closed. But that was months ago and the thought hasn’t even crossed my mind. I love where my mind is now. I love where my life is now.

Sometimes I think about it and it almost feels silly.. that something so small, such a tiny decision, could create such a big shift.

But here I am.

Feeling present.
Feeling peaceful.

Feeling like my life is my own again.

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And as I sit here on the couch, watching my girls play…

I don’t feel like I’m missing anything anymore.