HOW TAKING SOCIAL MEDIA BREAKS MAY LEAD US TO HAPPIER “US”

If one were to define the 2010s as a decade, it would be called the decade of social media. Over the past ten years we saw a drastic change in the way people share and communicate their feelings and events happening in their lives. The emergence of social media is an exceptional example of how social habits can change rapidly and drastically: something that is now part of the daily life of one-third of the world’s population was unimaginable less than a decade ago.

Ten years ago, it was very hard to keep in touch with the people you knew from school or college even with the help of the internet. Social media apps such as Facebook, Instragram, Snapchat and many more have made it easier to see what is to see what’s going on in the lives of friends and family, and to meet new people with common interests and opinions.

However, while it is easy to praise the advantages that  social media has brought into our lives, one should not forget that it has its negatives too.

HOW SOCIAL MEDIA AFFECTS YOUR HEALTH NEGATIVELY

Addiction to social media is a problem that is currently on the rise. More and  more people bring smartphones and other gadgets everywhere they go, it becomes more difficult to take a step away from the internet. And on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, individuals are increasingly spending more of their time online. If it saps your energy  away from any other activity, such as jobs, physical activity and offline relationships, any addiction is potentially dangerous.

Social media can cause a lot of stress and anxiety to an individual. There is a constant fear of missing out on events and trends because of how fast paced time plays out on social media. Social media has also seen an increase in the number of cases of cyberbullying and has become another platform for society to enforce its rigid body standards on young impressionable teenagers.

Social media also puts this pressure on young adults to constantly have a perfect life and hide any negative aspects of their lives. It also causes individuals to compare themselves with others which can lead to a lot of mental health problems.

If you are constantly staring at a screen, you may strain and damage your eyesight. Constantly being on social media even during night can cause you to lose valuable hours of sleep and cause fatigue. It can also cut into the time you could have spent on exercises which are good for both your physical as well as your mental health.

REASONS YOU SHOULD TAKE A BREAK FROM SOCIAL MEDIA

According to many studies, an individual spends an average of 1 hour 40 minutes everyday on social media. This is an incredible amount of time that could be spent in other ways, but it is also representative of the social and business culture that is present in our society right now. Spending so much time on social media is not good for your mental as well as your physical health. Here are some of the reasons why you should take a break from social media:

• It will help you break the social media comparison cycle. Most of the people who use social media end up comparing themselves with other people, which is not good for your mental health as it can cause a lot of stress and can also lead to eating disorders.
• Social media brings out the competitive side, even though you’re not aware of it. This is because drawing attention to your posts is the key basis of social media networks like Facebook. Each response and comment is an indicator of how famous a specific post is, which can make you try to outdo others and even yourself. This form of competition is not safe, and it can cause anxiety and depression.
• It will help in improving your mood overall. The more time you spend on a social media site, the more likely you are to experience depression, studies have shown. In addition, whether or not you feel stressed out or satisfied is directly linked to the amount of time you spend on these pages.
• It will help you get over your fear of missing out. Various studies have found that social media sites are as addictive as cocaine. The notification number makes it much more difficult to stay away from it. But those who are social media users may end up losing their personal and professional relationships. You can minimize these damaging effects by taking up a social media detox.
• It will allow you to protect your privacy. While social media is a simple way to stay in contact and share images, you still need to give up a great deal of your privacy. You can take a social media detox by deleting your social media apps and accounts to provide yourself with the best possible privacy protection.

WAYS TO TAKE A SOCIAL MEDIA BREAK

• Switch your platform alerts off. If you get a “like or “comment” notification on a message, it results in a positive social stimulus and dopamine influx.” The constant beeping and buzzing may also make you more likely to check your phone. By turning off notifications, it can help you actually stick to your social media break.
• Make self-care a priority. Replacing the use of social media with other mood-boosting practises that don’t include your phone can be particularly beneficial. If you have the urge to check your phone and start scrolling, consider one of these other healthier choices instead, such as setting up time to hang out in person with friends, going for a walk, hike, or bike ride, preparing your favourite meal or journal for 15 minutes.
• Allot specific timings for using social media. Many studies have recommended that you should identify what content makes you feel better and makes you feel worse. From there on you can create plans to limit the things that make you feel bad.

At the end of the day, while social media has become a great way to connect with people, it is important to limit its use. Prolonged periods of social media use can have damaging effects on our psyche as well our health. As they say, everything is good for you as long as you do it in moderation.