Facebook, Instagram, Twitter—to name a few widely used social media platforms.
We browse through our phones, like and share posts in one click, and spend all day on our devices skimming through these social media channels because they’re entertaining. But what do you do when you feel mentally exhausted instead of entertained when spending time on your socmed accounts?
I have personally experienced this feeling. In fact, I am currently on an indefinite social media break as I write this blog. Recently, I deactivated my Facebook and Instagram.
As someone who enjoys social media so much, feeling drained while scrolling through your feed, perfectly comfortable lying on your bed feels horrible. Sometimes, it does not get better with sleep or coffee.
When you feel subtle signs of social media fatigue, maybe it’s time to consider temporarily divorcing yourself from socmed.
There are proven benefits to it; continue reading to know what these are.
Social Media Break Helps Create Better Sleeping Habits
Let’s be honest, what’s the first thing we do when we wake up and the last thing we do before we sleep? We check our phones.
Most of us fail to see the repercussions of harmless socmed browsing. But these habits not only affect our sleeping patterns but also influences how we spend our day.
Say you were too engrossed with TikTok and slept late. You end up having only three hours of sleep. You’ll wake up irritable, even with a terrible headache. That right there may potentially affect everyone around you.
But if you step back and stop excessive usage of your phone or computer, you can develop a more healthy sleep pattern. Studies suggest that rem sleep provides you with massive cognitive benefits. It helps your brain produce more serotonin—happy hormones— and keeps you feeling positive.
Social Media Break Helps You Reconnect With Yourself
Do you even notice how much you neglect yourself when you are busy with your phone? Sometimes you are even willing to spend your workdays off in your PJs and just scroll aimlessly throughout the day.
You skip your meals and lose track of time. At some point, you forget to get up and brush your teeth because you aren’t going anywhere.
Then, you forget about your hobbies and interests because you’re always “too busy” to read, write, play sports, or paint more.
And then it hits you; you’ve been wasting too much time. It feels like you achieved nothing. You don’t feel passionate about all the stuff you once loved. And it’s only a matter of time before these habits stem into negative mental health impacts.
Before it gets too late, spend less time in the virtual world and make time for yourself. Once you disengage temporarily from social media, you’ll realize you have lots of time to spend for yourself, your friends, and your loved ones.
Go back to yoga. Start and end your day again with meditation. Read those books you bought a year ago without reading. Do anything that makes you feel you are living.
You’ll even have a few extra hours to learn a new hobby.
Social Media Break Helps Reduce Negative Self Talk
Negative self-talk is something most of us are guilty of. Me, I am working on it.
There was a time when I watch through my friends’ stories on Facebook and Instagram, and I see their milestones. It feels like rubbing the word “loser” to my nose.
I began to compare my progress with them. Often, I questioned my life choices. I even doubted my abilities because I wasn’t as successful as they appear to be.
Other people invalidating your efforts is already too hard to bear. And when you have those murky reservations and thoughts about yourself, its a bitter unfathomable pain.
You don’t deserve that kind of negativity you impose on yourself. Just because other people are ahead of us, it doesn’t mean we aren’t moving forward.
If you see yourself being jealous about other’s lives on social media, taking a break is a good idea. It’ll help you readjust your focus and think about all the things you overcome.
And yes, this is my futile attempt to reevaluate my focus. I am going back to a place that felt home to me, writing.
Social Media Break Helps Decrease Anxiety and Depression
Many factors contribute to depression and anxiety. There’s food, lifestyle, environment, and more.
But let’s go back to not having enough sleep because of social media. Did you know that sleep deprivation can trigger depression and anxiety? It’s because of the increased irritability, tension, and fatigue we feel. There’s this instability and fluctuations in our mood and emotion that we can’t control.
We then proceed to horrible episodes of negative self-talking. And we feel this inexplicable sadness and emptiness. Sometimes, what we see online makes it all worse. The success of others, their progress, it makes us feel small.
I am not blaming or saying that social media is the sole reason why depression is rampant. However, it’s hard to maintain a positive environment through the virtual world—where some people are entitled to be mean and insensitive.
If you are feeling exhausted and melancholic online, take a break. And don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help.
Conclusion
It’s not a bad thing to immerse yourself in the online world. But you have to make sure that it does not affect or damage you in any way.
If it feels like losing yourself because of too much social media, don’t be afraid to disconnect. Don’t be guilty or feel pressured to update everyone on what you are up to.
You don’t have to impress anyone. Move at your own pace. And live your offline life genuinely the way you want, not how you wish the virtual world would see.