Importance of Taking a Break From Social Media

Introduction

Social media has become an addiction for today's youngsters. They tend to continuously check their phones and other devices and scroll on social media. As a result of this addiction, it has become challenging to stop people from using it. However, taking some time off from social media can benefit mental health and can provide a refreshing break.

How Does Social Media Affect Mental Health?

Research suggests that there is a direct association between the decreased use of social media and improvements in conditions such as loneliness and depression.

What Are the Signs One Needs to Take a Break From Social Media?

Signs that one might need to take a break from social media include;

• When one starts scrolling without even realizing it.

• One cannot stop comparing themselves to others.

• When the person gets easily annoyed if notices anything on social media.

• Start freaking out if the person misses any updates or when one is unable to check the timeline.

• A person unintentionally spends a lot of time scrolling.

• Checking the phone first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

• When one cannot enjoy whatever stuff they are doing.

• Having the urge to post every update on social media.

What Are the Things to Do Instead of Social Media?

One can enjoy plenty of things instead of using social media because mental health is more important than the social world. People use social media to relax, connect with others, for entertainment, etc. This is a list of things one can do instead of social media:

• Listen to music.

• Go for a walk.

• Read a book.

• A person can engage themselves in painting, crafting, or doodling.

• Try baking or cooking something delicious.

• Practice yoga or do medication.

• Play with the pet.

• Drink any soothing beverage like tea or coffee.

• Reminisce by looking at some old photos and try recollecting the memories.

• Spend time with family and friends.

• Invite a friend or family member for lunch or dinner.

• Go shopping with friends.

• A person can engage themselves by joining community groups like non-profit organizations, clubs, or any religious place.

• Learn a musical instrument.

• Take a martial art or dance class.

• Plan a trip with friends or family.

• Unfollow accounts that make that disturb the mood.

• A person can engage in gardening.

• Playing games with family and friends.

How to Set Healthy Social Media Boundaries?

In today's world, social media is part of everyone's life. Still, there are different ways by which one can lessen the adverse effects and incorporate the positive impact of social media. One can include these things:

• Unfollow the people and their accounts that negatively impact and disturb the mood.

• Delete negative messages, spam, and trolling.

• Ignore and unsave the posts that encourage one to compare with others.

• Delete the images and posts from the profile that trigger self-judgment.

• Trying to live life to the fullest and not just posting happy pictures to show the world.

• Posting encouraging and positive comments on others' posts.

• Showcase the real, and avoid using filters.

What Are the Benefits of Social Media Break?

According to research, the average time a person spends on social media is two to three hours daily, and the average teenager spends around nine hours every day on social platforms. Social media has brought about many advantages but has produced more negative effects like cyberstalking and cyberbullying. Therefore, occasional and timely breaks from social media are essential; we can do this by disconnecting from phones and reconnecting ourselves with each other. There are some benefits of taking a break from social media, which include:

1. Improved Self Perspective - In today's world of social media, people always believe that they must have a picture-perfect life to display online; because of this, instead of being really happy and living life to the fullest, people worry about how can they look perfect to others, this causes a lot of disconnects. Adults and teenagers spend their time scrolling on social media, checking how many likes and comments they have. So taking some time off from social media can remove all this pressure from our lives.

2. Fear of Missing Out Is Decreased - Due to the overuse of social media platforms, people often think that they have to attend and participate in every social event or they will be left out. This is called FOMO, which is the fear of missing out. Distracting ourselves or taking breaks from social media allows us to spend more time with ourselves and enjoy life.

3. Improved Productivity Levels - Teens and adults spend around two to nine hours scrolling on social media feeds. Instead, they can focus and can be more productive in their work. Teenagers can engage themselves in doing homework or any study-related activities.

4. Decrease in Anxiety and Depression - There is a direct association between social media usage and teen anxiety and depression. Teenagers and adults have pressure to appear picture-perfect on social media, but by deleting social media accounts, an improvement in mental health is observed in many individuals.

5. Improvement in Personal Connections and Relationships - Disconnecting ourselves from our phones can eventually lead us to reconnect with our family and friends. Bonding and conversations with them become more meaningful and intentional, and we can spend more time with them.

6. Improvement in Sleep - Many people use phones late at night because they do not feel sleepy or fall asleep with phones in their hands or beds. Using phones late at night disturbs the sleep pattern. Trying to eliminate the temptation of scrolling through social media can give a peaceful sleep.

Conclusion

Social media is not bad, but it should be handled carefully and responsibly. It has been proven that taking social media breaks people can positively affect the mental health and well-being. Try to encourage one another to disconnect from social media and reconnect with others. For the most part, social media is just a component of our lives. At the same time, we can use it to emphasize the positive over the negative, for ourselves and others. With periodic breaks and a healthy balance of other activities, social media can be a healthy means of connection and self-expression.