Source: self.com
Gone are the days when all we have was the newspaper and the library. The world seemed wonderfully big, and everything we find out about different people and places seemed extraordinary. “Because social media has become such an integrated component of human interaction, it is important for clinicians interacting with young adults to recognize the balance to be struck in encouraging potential positive use, while redirecting from problematic use,” said Brian A. Primack, M.D., Ph.D.
Today, the internet, particularly the social media, has made our world peculiarly small. If we try to pause and ponder about the things we know about almost everything in this world, social media icons are hovering above our heads.
Have you ever wondered how your day be like without browsing your phones and laptops? You might be amazed how much change it will make. You can improve your life and promote wellness in your overall wellbeing by doing a social media detox.
5 Ways to Detoxify from Social Media
- Turn off all your gadgets: phone, computer, TV, or any device where you could access social media. Not everything we see on social media is true. Sometimes, there are news and videos out there that are just made to confuse and distract. In fact, Cortney S. Warren Ph.D. said that “Social media sites can be breeding grounds for dishonesty.”
Notice how sometimes you could be upset about something that happened on the other side of the world that even though you are happy, you’ll suddenly be gloomy and paranoid.
- Clean your room, or if you’re feeling more energetic, you can clean the entire house. We spend a great deal of time on social media that we ignore how untidy our surrounding is. We forget important household chores that are truly stressful when piled up.
So go ahead and do the laundry, wash the dishes, or unclutter your desk to make your surrounding pleasant to the eyes.
- Create something remarkable out of your time. Great things in this world didn’t just happen. They were made by someone who invested his time and effort. You can’t do that while on your phone.
Clear your mind of the things that don’t involve you, and start using it for more productive things or your passion like art, cooking, music, or anything that will contribute to your wellness physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually.
- Go somewhere awe-inspiring. Unwind and reflect on your life. This will be a time for you to remember your proprieties and assess yourself if you’re actually on the right path towards your goal.
Go somewhere you’ve never been or a place you always wanted to visit. They are breath-taking in person. You will realize the feeling you’re missing when you’re just looking at them on your screen.
- Catch up with someone you miss, or you always wanted to see but never had personally. People nowadays are too comfortable communicating with their phones and computers.
Although the internet has quite a lot of advantages especially when it comes to our careers and businesses, our relationship with the people we care about like our family and friends should not be left on the hands of technology.
Most of our emotional distress and heavy-heartedness comes from the awful things we see on social media. It is human nature to empathize that’s why we feel despair when we watch or read something tragic that happened to someone else, and this could be unhealthy for us. According to Kristen Fuller, M.D., clinical writer, “It is no secret that the social media frenzy has become out of control and studies are now showing that social media use can lead to depression, low self-esteem, body image issues, anxiety, social isolation, and the list goes on.”
We may not realize it, but the social media has taken over our lives, and if it changes your life for the worse, maybe it’s time to do a social media detox. Start caring about yourself and others around you by promoting personal touch to everything. After all, your physical self is your original social medium.