Social Media Detox

Can Social Media Affect Your Mental Health?

Social media has its pros and cons. Social media can affect your mental health in a positive or negative way, it all depends on what you're consuming while you're on social media. Today our generation relies on social media for almost everything. We use social media platforms such as, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Tik-Tok to stay up to date with the latest trends, celebrity gossip, for entertainment, and to keep updated on what our friends and peers are doing in their daily lives.

Constantly being on social media can potentially have negative effects. If you spend the majority of your time on social media, you're allowing it to distract you from what's really important. We often make the mistake of comparing our lives to the people we see on social media. When you see your favorite influencer taking luxurious trips out of the country, buying designer handbags, and shoes, that can make you feel like you aren't "living your best life". 

But you have to remember that social media isn't real life, and it's not even tangible. You can't compare your life to someone's lifestyle on social media. People aren't posting their failures on social media. You can't compare your journey to someone else's journey. Social media makes people feel like they have to live this perfect and lavish lifestyle. But just be grateful for where you are, and what you have now. Good things take time, and comparison is the thief of all joy.

Social media can have a positive impact on your life when you're following the right accounts. Following accounts that have positive messages, following people who motivate or inspire you, and unfollowing accounts that make you feel bad about yourself, is how you allow social media to have a positive impact on you mentally.

The Reason Why I Decided to do a Social Media Detox:

I recently watched this documentary on Netflix called "The Social Dilemma", and it discusses the negative impact that social media has on our generation today. This documentary just made me realize that social media has become very time consuming and a distraction in my life, so it's time for me to take a break.

Social media has a huge impact on our generation today. But honestly, it can become very distracting. So, I made a choice to take a social media detox for a few weeks. I need to disconnect for a while, get my priorities straight, and focus on myself. I feel like I'm constantly on social media everyday, and it's very time consuming. I pick up my phone, scroll through instagram or twitter, and before I know it, 3 hours have passed by. I could've used those three hours to do something more productive with my time.

During this social media detox I will:

1. Focus on Self-Care by reading more books, spending more time with God, journaling more, and focusing on my goals. 
2. Learn something new by picking up a new hobby, I've always wanted to learn how to sew and learn how to use a sewing machine, so that's something I want to try. I also want to start doing yoga, so I’ll look more into that. 
3. Change my environment by redecorating my space, and removing unneeded possessions. 
4. Work on my craft by finishing projects that I've started, and creating new content
5. Enjoy the present moment by being grateful for where I am in my life, letting go of worries, letting go of doubts, fully appreciating the moments of the day, spending more time in nature, and living a healthier lifestyle.

It's time to disconnect, take a break, and realign.