146: Why I Quit Social Media for Five Months (And What I'm Learning)

In this vulnerable and honest episode, Mari shares her decision to take a complete 5-month break from social media and what she's learned in just the first week. She opens up about the surprising ways social media was affecting her self-worth, emotional regulation, and authentic living.

Key Highlights:

• Why she decided on a 5-month complete social media break after hearing other women step away and recognizing unhealthy patterns
• How seeking validation through likes and comments was creating an unhealthy cycle of self-worth based on external metrics
• The "vegan shrimp" comment that became the breaking point - realizing negative comments from strangers were affecting her daily mood
• Week one discovery: using social media as a numbing tactic during difficult emotions instead of fully processing feelings
• The surprising absence of FOMO - without seeing others' highlight reels, her "okay" July 4th felt perfectly fine
• Living life without documenting for others allows for more authentic, present experiences (and potentially more comfortable kids)