From Likes to Life: Rediscovering Myself During a Social Media Break
A few months ago, I went out with my friends for lunch at a beautiful seaside restaurant along the East Coast Road. The view was stunning—people playing on the beach, fishermen guiding their boats, friends laughing as they braved the waves, couples deep in conversation, children flying kites, and athletes practicing surfing against the rhythmic crash of the tides. It was one of those moments that felt picture-perfect. As I soaked it all in, I realized my phone battery had died. At first, I thought it might be inconvenient, but soon, I discovered something refreshing: I was completely immersed in the moment, undistracted. There were no notifications dragging me out of the conversations with my friends, no impulses to capture the view for Instagram stories, no dopamine hits from new messages or social media updates. Just pure, unfiltered presence. It was calm, pleasant, and deeply soul-satisfying. But then, reality hit. As soon as I got home, I plugged in my phone, and the fl