The Exhilarating Silence that Followed the Deletion of the App of False Standards

Dear Delyara, I held down the icon on my phone screen until it shook, and then I clicked the little cross that permanently removed the social media app from my life. I’ve spent two hours every single evening drowning in the edited, perfect realities of strangers, using their vacations and promotions as a stick to beat myself with. The first evening without it felt strange—my thumb kept hovering over the blank space on the screen out of pure muscle memory. But by the third day, the constant background hum of inadequacy just vanished. I am noticing the actual flavor of my tea. I am reading books again. I am finally remembering who I am when I am not performing for an invisible audience.