Thriving Through the Thirties

^{Chronicles of a Social Media Breaker}

As I kept saying throughout this series, I deleted my most-used apps and took a little time offline. And you might be wondering—what did I actually do with all that free time I suddenly had? What replaced the endless scroll?

Well… I watched seven seasons of Bosch and three seasons of Bosch: Legacy. (Sorry, not sorry.) I finally caught up on most of my school assignments. I even completed a few gloriously frustrating levels of Bus Escape: Traffic Jam. And—I don’t mean to brag—but I also wrote four blog posts. That’s basically a year’s worth of content, considering how slow I’ve been lately.

But if I’m being honest, most of my screen time went to Pinterest. The OG. The very best kind of social media. My home decor board? Overflowing. My Amazon cart? Also overflowing. You know those throne moments—when people either scroll or read the paper? Yeah, I spent them… adding to cart. Daily.

Turns out, I’m one of those people who can’t be active on more than two apps at once. Facebook was once my go-to. Then Twitter came along and introduced me to some incredible people—but also to the most judgmental platform I’ve ever encountered. Every time I think about going back, five minutes on the timeline reminds me that I’m better off without that energy.

Eventually, I migrated to Instagram. We’ve had our bumps, but our relationship continues—even if we’re currently on a break. And you know what they say—la nature a horreur du vide. So with Instagram out of the picture, Amazon started filling the void… and my credit card was not thrilled. That’s when I realized it was time to return to the kind of social media that doesn’t require my wallet to do the heavy lifting…

All things considered, my break was exactly what I needed.

So how did it help?

For starters, I realized how anxious certain WhatsApp chats made me. My chest would tighten, my stomach would sink, and I’d brace for bad news—refreshing again and again like it would change something. Logging off helped break that cycle.

I also stopped worrying about creating content and staying active just to keep numbers from dipping. That pressure? Gone. For now, anyway.

I haven’t fully returned. I’m only back on WhatsApp because my dad was lowkey throwing a tantrum—Haitian parent style. But Instagram? Still off my phone. I’m trying to be more intentional with how I use these apps. I set app timers earlier this year (which I override like I’m competing in the Olympics), but hey—it’s a start. And I genuinely intend to stick with it… even if my new besties Pinterest and Amazon are definitely not making it easy.

I’ve always been quick to unfollow people who disrupt my peace, but lately, I’ve been embracing a gentler route: muting. It’s my version of saying, I love you, but you’re a bit much for me these days. Let’s take a break.

And maybe most importantly—I’m learning to be okay with missing things. There’s a lot happening in Haiti, in the world, in every feed and thread. It’s okay to not know everything. It’s okay to say, “I haven’t heard about that yet,” or “I started reading about it but stopped—it’s not a story for me.” Just like I’ve started enjoying not finishing every book I start, I hope to feel the same freedom in my online content consumption.

And oh—yes, he did text. Every. Single. Day. While I was MIA.

Who’s going to break it to him that texting both my numbers wasn’t nearly enough though? Next time, I expect effort. An email. A handwritten letter. A pigeon in formalwear. A scroll delivered at dawn by someone who looks like they know how to apologize properly. Because really—if you’re going to interrupt my peace, at least make it poetic.

_{Chronicles of a Social Media Breaker started as a quiet break, a cheeky detox, a soft goodbye to the noise. But it became more—a space to reflect, to laugh at the chaos, to reclaim a bit of calm. If you read all the chapters, thank you. If you saw yourself in any part of them—whether in the group chat trauma, the unread messages, or the Amazon cart spirals—then I hope you feel a little less alone. We’re all just trying to balance connection and quiet, one muted app at a time.}