I got sick of social media
Social media is a powerful tool. It is a pretty big part of blogging for me as it allows me to share my work with more people. Connect with others. I do think social media can be used positively. Used positively, social media can contribute to good vibes and be uplifting. However, I have always had a love-hate relationship with it because whilst it can be used positively, it is really easy to fall down a rabbit hole and suddenly, it is not so good for mental health.
A few weeks ago, I stopped using Instagram as much. Instagram had just not been an app I had been enjoying using. Everyone's filtered images that seemingly presented that they were 'living their best life' whilst we were all in lockdown did not sit right with me and I looked for honesty I couldn't find. I wanted transparency- for people to admit yes life did not look so glamourous. With lockdown and much more time on my hands, I found that when ending up on my phone I had begun to mindlessly open social media and scroll through feeds. I had been using Instagram and the feed to see what other people are up to almost as a way to fill up time as I had less to do with COVID. It became an area of comparison of what people were doing/ what my life looked like. Living life through a screen because it felt like I could not live it in real life. But, the thing is, most people are likely in the same situation - a lot of posts are throwbacks or from the few times people can manage to see their friends.
More recently, I decided to generally stop using social media as much. I did not completely cut it out, but this week, I have used it a lot less. My Pinterest stats definitely highlight that - I have seen a drop from 120,000 monthly views to 65,000 (not that it matters). A social media break and not being as active as usual was exactly what I needed without even realising it. I love blogging and promoting my content. But, taking time to adjust to recent events in my life has been very beneficial. Focusing a lot more on me, how I feel and real life. The less time I spent on social media, the less I felt I needed to use it and I did not really find I needed it. I felt so refreshed and a new sense of freedom I did not expect to find in using social media less as after all, using it is a choice I had made.
Until this last week, I really did not notice just how much pausing, even if it is just in one aspect of your life can allow you to recharge. For me, something as simple as spending less time on my phone and in "being connected" helped me feel like I was getting more rest. It doesn't have to be a long break or you doing something drastically different. Even the smallest change in a routine can make such a huge difference. Particularly now with restrictions and being stuck more at home, it can be really easy to start using social media as a distraction in an unhealthy way. As a replacement to living in the moment.
If you are not feeling quite yourself, I recommend disappearing from social media for a while or at least using it a lot less as I did. It had a positive effect on my mental health, and a bigger impact than I expected, especially as I found I needed time to adjust and take in what was happening in my surroundings.
Keep me caffeinated so I can write more 😌:
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