Stop scrolling!

You may have come to realize the heavy influence that social media has on mental health.

Research has it that this same tool that helps people connect to the ends of the earth has been one of the major causes of anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, trauma, low self-confidence, and various kinds of stress.

Just before the end of last year, I went off all my social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, and Twitter (my least used platform). I repeated it this year as well by deleting some of these apps.

I came to grips with how much time I spent on these platforms, and even though my focus was on “giving” and sharing my knowledge through these various platforms, I also realized it was TAKING from me.

Social media drains and literally sucks blood.

And tbh, the times when I was off these platforms I had peace!

It took me away from so much noise that I felt some sense of tranquility within me, which I deeply appreciate.

For many creatives like myself, social media challenges us to do more, but it also gets to the point where, if one’s not careful, you’ll begin to lose yourself mentally.

Yes, social media connects you to the world but it can also make you feel even more disconnected from the world around you.

Oftentimes, it catapults you away from the present.

Social media is built to be addictive, and you can see that from the unending scrolling. You can be on social media for hours without even realizing it.

There’ll always be content on there, so much content that you can’t even consume all of it.

So why try to inundate yourself with so much stuff when you can never get enough of it?

As a creative there’s always the temptation of wanting to ensure that you’re putting your content out there on social media; especially as the algorithm forces you to also engage and spend time on these platforms;

but one thing to also consider is prioritizing self-care as well because there are so many things we consume on social media that are detrimental to us as humans.

Regrettably, the posts you see on social media can’t be unseen, and neither can the articles you read be unread.

So if anything, your eyes and ears are two very important gateways you want to guard jealously.

You owe yourself that due diligence.

Taking social media breaks is paramount not only to your mental health but also to your emotional health as well.

You can call it social media detoxification!

And I encourage you to practice it if you haven’t thought about it.

As the year comes to an end I urge you to take social media breaks! You won’t die!

Surprisingly, you’ll see that you didn’t really lose out on anything, you will still survive!

If you like, call it “Social media boundaries”. We all need it!

Think about it!

P.S.: Do you think we’re better off without social media or with it?

What are valuable recommendations you can give about the use of social media?