Have you ever felt like you don’t want to post on social media?
Did you do it because you felt you had to or because it’s your job?
Let’s go further…
Are you one of those who mindlessly scroll through social media, not really sure why you’re doing it in the first place?
If you have, don’t worry… I’ve been in those situations too.
The truth is, after watching the Netflix documentary “The Social Dilemma” and how social media is purposely designed to make us addicted, I was like
“Oh, I’m not there… I’m not like that.”
But when I was honest with myself and started asking questions like :
- Why do I feel the need to be on social media?
- How long can I go without grabbing my phone and checking my social media platforms?
- How is social media making me feel?
I realized that I was one of “those people,” too. My relationship with social media was not making me feel as good as I thought it was.
Consequences of having an unhealthy relationship with social
So, by examining my daily habits, I noticed I was constantly checking my phone, I was anxious when I hadn’t posted in a while on TikTok, and I was comparing myself and my life to other people’s highlight reels, in fact…
I was letting social media dictate how I should feel about myself. I started to think I was not enough.
Like as if I was behind or whatever…
I even started to feel bad when I saw someone doing something I hadn’t done or whatever.
And it wasn’t only me.
A study done by Comscore showed that people spend an average of 3 hours and 23 minutes per day on social media, looking for one thing… excitement and dopamine hits!
Dopamine is one of the chemical messengers in our brains that helps control the reward and pleasure centers. Research has shown that the increase in the use of social media is linked to a rise in dopamine levels.
When we get likes, comments, and shares, it activates the reward center in our brain, which gives us a hit of dopamine and makes us feel good and want more.
The problem is that when we seek out that dopamine hit too often, we can develop a dependency, but we cannot always control when we get that hit, right?
And that’s when feelings of anxiety, depression, and isolation start to come in. Sometimes I even think it can give us ADHD-like symptoms or diagnoses just because we can’t focus on anything else but our phones.
What can a social media detox do for you?
If you’re anything like me, you might be thinking, “I can’t go without social media. It’s my job.”
And I get it!
I used to think, “This is how that’s how I make money. This is how I run my business. I can’t take a break”
But once I realized what I was gaining from just a little time off the screen, I knew it was worth it.
And that’s when I started to pick apart my own feelings. I couldn’t just go and open Instagram or whatever, just to scroll and get distracted.
And the Aha moment came.
I was feeling bad for things that I didn’t even want
It’s in those times when I’ve started going like
“Okay, so it is true that this person is traveling, that this person is married, that this person has children.
But you don’t know if, in reality, everything is perfect.And even if it is…
What does that have to do with me?”
And it was in those moments that I started to notice how much power social media can have on us, and just by start to taking breaks, you can start experiencing:
- Being more present
- Improved sleep
- Less anxiety and comparison
- Improved relationships
- More time for things that matter
How to take a social media detox
The whole point of this is I really want to know when you know that it’s time to take a break.
If you realize that you are not feeling content, you are tired, and your solution is to keep scrolling, then that should be enough just to take a break.
It doesn’t mean to shut off all of your social media o throw your cell phone away; it just means to disconnect from your device to reconnect with your life
The people that are in your life, they have your phone number, and they know where you live, right?
Just go and take a break and do it for yourself. Don’t focus on thinking that people need to know what you’re breaking or understand why you’re breaking. Just do it for yourself.
For me, it is small things like embracing the idea that it’s time to have more life, even if that means less money, or still making money by hiring the right people so we can all grow together, but most importantly, being present.
It sounds super cheesy, but it’s so true. If you’re not happy with what you have, you’re never going to be satisfied with more.
I’m not saying that social media is bad, or that you should never use it. It can be a great tool to connect with people, learn new things, and promote your business.
If you’re looking for using a platform like TikTok for business or just to get started with social media, I created a course that can help you to get started and grow your following the right way, without any wasted time, just click here and find out all about it
However, if you find that social media is negatively impacting your life, it might be time to take a break.
Trust me, you won’t regret it!
There ya have it!
I hope this article was helpful in giving you some ideas on how to take a social media detox.
If you want to learn more of this, make sure you stay connected with me on TikTok.