Take a break!

Taking a break from social media has been weighing on my heart heavily the past week or more. I started to think of all the ways I could benefit from boycotting all apps and outlets for a while.

1. I notice myself checking my social media platforms NUMEROUS times throughout the day. The amount of time I spend looking at what is really, for the majority, pointless information I could use that time more productively. I used to LOVE to read before kids and daily living took over. Maybe I’ll pick up a book this week instead of my phone.

2. Too much social media affects your creativity. I have been wanting to blog but everything I thought I wanted to talk about has already been covered, multiple times. But I wouldn’t have known that if I would have stayed off social media. You can’t have a creative thought when thoughts are been given to you freely on the media. I am going to challenge myself this week to write anyways about whatever I choose to because my thoughts and ideas are different from others.

3. Social media is a breeding ground for insecurities. Insecurities in relationships, careers, parenting, lifestyles, etc. You literally log in and can compare your life to everyone else’s instantaneously. Just because Ashley from high school got extensions and lost ten pounds doesn’t make you any less pretty. Just because Mark from the 3rd floor got a promotion doesn’t make you any less successful. Just because Jen from yoga got engaged doesn’t make you any less desirable. Just because Kari from soccer practice monograms everything and only feeds her kids organic snacks doesn’t make you any less of an involved parent. This week I am going to remember how hard I have worked to get to where I am and my path doesn’t have to be the same as other people’s.

4. Mother’s Guilt, which I have already covered in a previous blog, is rampant on social media. I refuse to join any of the “mom groups” on Facebook that are set up for other moms to give each other “advice” on parenting. When, in reality, it’s just a way for some moms to showcase and then criticize the way other moms choose to parent. AND if I see one more mom share a meme or a quote about “my house is dirty because my kids are making memories” or “the housework can wait, they are only small for a little while”, I am going to scream. Yes, all of that may be true, BUT! Do you know how that made a mom feel that HAD to clean that day instead of playing with her toddler? Do you know now she is spending an extra ten minutes beating herself up about washing the dishes and folding the baby’s clothes because of that meme? Do you know that sometimes you have to clean up in order to give your children a safe and healthy place to live?! Rant over. This week I will stay away from any and all media that could make me feel like I am not enough.

5. Statistically speaking, social media is also affecting society’s mental health as a whole. There has been a raise in depression, body issues disorders, and anxiety. There’s many articles online that can showcase my point even better. But, the point I want to make is, social media is shaping our mental health and we are allowing it to. There has been a large number of suicides linked to social media as well. This week I am going to do my brain and body a favor and take a break from social media.

6. There is something to be said for privacy. No ones life is a private anymore. We know anytime someone gets married or divorced, gets pregnant, gets fired, get arrested, buys a house or a new car, etc. We know every move that a lot of people make and all the places that they go. We no longer have anything to talk about at our 10 year high school reunions because we have already seen it all on Facebook or instagram. This week I will remind myself that the pretty cupcake I ate or the cute thing my kid did STILL happened even if I didn’t post it on social media.

7.  We have lost the personal touch of communicating with others. We use memes, tags, and status updates to connect with the outside world now. The Internet itself has taken away a lot of the necessity of human interaction. Why shop in stores or leave the house when Amazon Prime will ship it to you for free?! Because its healthy to. Its healthy to get out and experience life outside of that small touchscreen. The convenience of a text over a phone call is valid, but very impersonal compared to being able to hear someone’s voice. AND when we do force ourselves to have face to face interaction with people, we stay on our phones the entire time. Social media has invaded every aspect of our lives and shaped how we interact with each other. This week I will make it a point to put down my phone during dinner or any other activity I have with the people I care about and want to spend time with.

I really do feel like there are some positives to social media, especially as a way to expand your business, network, or stay in touch with friends/relatives that do not live close by. There has to be some good to the whole idea or we wouldn’t ALL flock to it like sheep. However, it has became too relied upon, too vital, and too central in many of our lives.  And I also want to say that I am guilty of all the fore mentioned things above. Hopefully, this puts a few things into perspective for people.

 

 

“The grass isn’t always greener on the other side.”

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