There always seems to be an ongoing debate about social media - why it’s good for us and why it’s bad but it can be hard to strike a balance, after all social media, for most of us, has become an integral part of our daily lives.
We go on it to connect, to share news or information, to catch up and to get an idea of what others think of what is happening in the world.
This isn’t going to be a post about why social media might be bad for you, instead I want to focus on what happens when you take a break from social media and why you might want to consider taking one.
You might have some concerns about taking a break from social media and that's okay. One of the things you might worry about is potentially suffering from FOMO (fear of missing out) but I wonder what would you actually be missing out on?
Your friend going on another amazing holiday when you can’t afford one?
A colleague getting a longed for promotion?
The funny cat video that’s currently trending?
How much or how often do we actually genuinely connect with others on social media?
You might wonder why taking a break from social media is a good idea. Having a break from something gives you an opportunity to take a step back, reflect and re-evaluate your relationship. You might be surprised by how much time you actually spend on social media and this might only become apparent when you take a break and suddenly have time on your hands.
You might realise that scrolling through Facebook or Insta is a filler when you have a spare five minutes or that it becomes something of a time vortex and instead of five minutes you end up spending hours on it without realising (don’t worry, you’re not alone, we’ve all done it).
Having a break from social media might mean that you reflect on what you want to get out of social media in the first place or which of your needs are being met, for example connecting with others, keeping in touch with friends, sharing bits and pieces of your life. Is social media perhaps important to your business or line of work?
How much of a role does social media play in your life? And are you happy with that role?
The purpose of having a break is not because social media is necessarily all bad but it’s about becoming aware of how you use it and why, so that you can make informed decisions and maintain a healthy balance and relationship with social media.
One example might be that social media can negatively impact on your self esteem due to our tendency to compare ourselves, often negatively, to others. So if you mindlessly spend ours on social media, you might exacerbate negative feelings about yourself whereas if you make a conscious and informed choice about spending a certain amount of time on the platforms of your choice, it might not feel so bad.
A lot of our lives are virtual now and technology plays a huge part in our lives. You might find though that by taking a break, you find other ways of connecting with people, for example having an actual conversation in person or picking up the phone.
The time that’s freed up - you might like to use it for other things, for example engaging in a hobby that you haven’t had time for or doing a self care activity.
You might simply find that having a break from social media cuts down some of the noise of daily life, giving you room to think and reflect on what's important to you and what is going on in your life.
How long you take a break for is entirely up to you. If the idea horrifies you but you would like to give it a go, you might want to start small. Try one day and see how it feels. If you feel able you might want to take a week off or a month, it’s entirely up to you. There are no right or wrong answers.
To make the most of your social media break, here are a few things you might like to consider:
Why are you taking a break and what are you hoping to get out of it?
What will be difficult? For example FOMO, not going on your social media apps
What do you get out of social media? How do you use it?
What can you do to make it easier on yourself? For example putting all the apps in a folder on your phone, letting people know in advance that you won’t be on your platforms, turning off app notifications
How long do you want your break to be?
Once you completed your break you might want to think about the following:
What it was like to have a break?
What was difficult about it?
What was easy?
What did you learn?
Did it affect how you felt about yourself?
What did you do instead of going on social media?
Will you be using it differently?
Did you notice any difference in your concentration and energy levels?
Our lives are busy and filled with things that constantly demand our attention.
Taking a break is optional but it might just be good for you.
The choice is yours.
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