I’ve had a very up and down relationship with social media having grown up with it being around all of my adult life. I’ve had periods where I have used it way too much, and then banned myself from it completely. I feel I can write about it now as I think I’ve finally made it to a place where I have a good relationship with it (I hope!).

From maybe mid 2023-early 2024, I ditched social media completely (aside from LinkedIn which I used for work). It was probably after watching a video on YouTube about the dangers of short form media that I gave it up for good. And it was a great move! I really learnt to live for myself and not for what I could post on my Instagram feed. I felt free and like I was really getting to know myself and not the perception I had of myself from someone else’s viewpoint.

Fast forward to 2024, I wanted to see if I could have a healthy relationship with social media. I was missing connecting with other people who have campervans and live alternative lifestyles.

So, I created an account called Just Nooching. But what happened? I found myself being taken again by the power of addiction and would reach for my phone and be on Instagram before I even realised what I was doing. And that was SCARY! I thought I had more self control… (then again people do get paid a lot of money to keep us addicted to these apps).

I knew I needed to put some barriers in place. So I found an app called Unpluq and it lets me limit Instagram usage to 5 minutes at a time. But before I can access it, I have to violently shake my phone which means you really think about whether or not you need/want to go on it.

I feel I am finally in a good place with social media now. I am still living for myself and not an Instagram post, and I have a platform I can use to share my blog posts and connect with others living alternative lifestyles.

Also, not too long ago I’ve also put a block on WhatsApp (with Unpluq) so I can’t access it from 7pm-8am and that has helped me put my phone away completely in the evenings. When I lived in a house it was a lot easier to leave my phone in another room but in a van it is always accessible so this barrier has allowed me to be way more present in the evenings.

I hope I can stay in a good place with my phone from here on out. It is so amazing to be able to connect with like-minded people, but also terrifying how addictive it can become.