I came across this question once and I really took the time to reflect on it. How does social media make you feel? It is something I never really thought about up until recently. Here are some of the responses I saw: angry, envious, anxious, informed, entertained, connected, frustrated.
I could have answered that question with all of the above. Now more than ever we often feel even more of a desire to connect with others socially. Since we have been social distancing for what seems like forever, Instagram and Facebook are easy ways to feel connected with others. But maybe sometimes we need to socially distance ourselves from social media.
In fact, I did that for 5 days. About a month ago I spent a week away with my family. I promised myself I was going to try my best to remain present and take a break from social media. After doing so I thought a lot about the impact it has on our mental health. While I thoroughly enjoy catching up on the most recent celebrity gossip, connecting with friends and family I don’t see often and get a good laugh from the endless memes, it can also bring up some uncomfortable feelings.
Sometimes I let the constant news updates get the best of me. You don’t want to look but at the same time, you feel if you do not look you’re going to miss out on something important. Take a minute and think about it. How does social media make you feel? If any of those feelings make you uncomfortable, challenge yourself to take a break or make changes.
Remember you have control of what you see on Social Media. Choose to unfollow accounts that no longer benefit you. Don’t spend wasted time scrolling. Utilize it in a way that makes you happy, whatever that may be. And if that means taking a break, then go ahead and do it.
