The Importance of Unplugging from Social Media
Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are all great places to connect with family and friends. You can share big life updates or basically whatever is on your mind. There are many positive aspects to social media, yet as we all know, there are some pretty big negative aspects as well.
Over the years there have been a large number of studies that show the benefits of unplugging from social media. In this blog post, we are going to discuss some of the main benefits of unplugging.
Reduce Stress and Anxiety
Social media can be overwhelming at times. When scrolling through the app, there is so much going on. Your attention is constantly getting pulled in every direction. There might be some posts that can affect you negatively. For example, you might see what your friends are up to without you. Or, maybe your family member posts that they are struggling after the loss of a family member. This might trigger a negative emotional response in you. Whatever it is, there is no doubt that social media can eventually affect us negatively.
Mindlessly scrolling through social media can seem harmless, but your brain is going 100 miles per hour. Unplugging and giving your brain a break is so good for your mental and emotional well being.
More Time on Your Hands
When you delete your social media accounts, or simply just delete the app from your phone, you might just be surprised at how much time you have on your hands. Instead of spending hours on your phone, you could finish that book you’ve been reading. Maybe you spend that time going on a walk with a friend you have been wanting to catch up with. Whatever it is, it is sure to be more productive than time spent on social media.
Reduces the Feeling of Loneliness
Social media makes it a lot easier to talk to your friend, family, and co-worker whenever and wherever. This is a great tool to have but sometimes it can be isolating. When you have platforms like social media, you are less likely to go out of the way to talk with someone. You might just think that everyone already knows about your life since you post on social media. However, it is still important that you reach out to others in real life to feel that sense of human connection.
Stay Present
It can be hard to focus on the present moment when you are constantly being bombarded with notifications on your phone. Social media apps are constantly sending up notifications to check out so and so’s latest post. This constant notification can take us away from what we are doing in the present moment.
You might say, ”Why don’t I just turn my notifications off for my social media apps?” Though this may help, there is still the constant desire to check up on what your friends are doing. No matter if you turn your notifications off or not, you will never truly be in the moment unless you unplug.
In the end, unplugging from your social media platforms doesn’t have to be something that you do overnight. However, it is something that comes with time. You may find that if you spend a whole day without social media, you are able to get so much more done. Over time, it can be something you start to do more and more. Start small and remember that any little time spent away from social media is time well spent.
