10 Signs You Need A Social Media Break
Social media is one of the great technological advances we have in our day in age. It provides us with a world of opportunity. We can keep connected with loved ones that may not be so close to us, there are new job opportunities thanks to social media, we can keep up with our favorite celebrities, and get all of the latest news as soon as it happens. Whether that be news of whats happening with friends and family or news that is happening out in the world. It seems all fun and dandy, but the truth is social media is a toxic environment that we all have found ourselves consumed in. We see things and people that aggravate us, but for some reason, can’t seem to hit the unfollow button. We look at people who are beyond gorgeous or have wonderful lives and we long to be like them and wonder why we are not. People only post their happiest moments, and we take those few seconds in their lives and shape it into their entire reality. And the worst part is we wonder why our lives just suck! These are the 10 signs you need a social media break to step back, get a grasp on the world around you, and love yourself. A social media break could be all you need to get you life back on track and gain the confidence you need to live your life to the fullest!
1. You have no friends (at least ones that aren’t virtual)
This is more common than you may think. Especially when we find ourselves insanely busy. If all you find yourself doing is work and/or school and completing tasks in your day to day life that need to get done, rather than what you want to get done then this could be you. Social media is like a form of meditation. Like T.V. when you are surfing the web your brain kind of shuts off. Have you ever put your phone down and found yourself looking around the room in a confused daze? When did it get so dark outside? You have been spending the last 8 hours talking to your virtual friends! It’s so much easier to just sit on the couch and relax after a long day, so we turn down offers to go out with friends because it is so much easier to lay on the couch. The truth is though you need those friendships and you need a social media break!
2. You haven’t seen the light of day in quite some time
This is seems more dramatic than it really is, but seriously. When is the last time you have just sat outside? Gone on a walk? Rode your bike? When have you actually just put your phone down and enjoyed being outside? Running back and forth to your car with your nose shoved into your phone does not count. We feel this constant need to stay connected just because that is the way our world is now. People expect us to be at their beck and call because why wouldn’t we be with everyones phone attached at their hip? Take a social media break by putting the phone down and laying outside for a little bit. Listen to the birds, feel the breeze on your face, and enjoy the world around you rather than wasting your short life away on the telephone.
3. Your shoulders are constantly hunched over
Social media can ruin your posture! Whether we are on our phones of computers, our shoulders are in this constant hunch in order to see our screens at the perfect angle. We then find ourselves sitting in this position when we are not using technology. If we spend most of our day in this hunched over position, our spine tends to get accustomed to that comfortable position and automatically go there when we are just trying to relax. During your social media break, stretch, do some yoga, or do some posture exercises. Posture is crucial so we don’t end up like the oldies who are completely bent over. We want to keep looking forward! Not down at the ground!
4. Your thumbs are sore
Okay people literally develop callouses on their thumbs from rubbing on their phone or laptops all day long. Callouses!!! Like the kind you get from working out out or when you had those annoying sore spots in the back of your mouth from your braces! That is NOT okay. You should not be using your phone that much. If your fingers are actually starting to hurt (and this is not a drill) TAKE A SOCIAL MEDIA BREAK! You are literally damaging the physical capabilities of one of our most important body parts. How are you going to eat anything again? Hold a pencil? Hold someones hand? Hook up with someone! Can you even imagine your life without fingers? Not to mention, arthritis is not cute! Do you want that? No. So get off social media so much!
5. Eye strain
The blue light from social media causes eye strain. This can give us headache or migraines which is never good. Even further it can actually damage our eyesight. Eye strain is when our eyes are overly fatigued or tired. Staring at our computer screen to long is the ultimate cause of this. If you find yourself with dry, watery, itchy, burning eyes and feel like you cannot keep your eyes open, guess what? You have eye strain! This can cause that blurred or double vision, soreness in the neck or back, sensitivity to light, and/or trouble concentrating. While all of these problems aren’t the end of the world, they are definitely annoying and totally unnecessary to have. And the worst part is you did it to yourself!
6. Lack of sleep
That blue light not only causes eye strain, but it causes us to have a lack of sleep as well. Melatonin is the chemical in your brain that causes us to drift off into a peaceful sleep. Well the chemical does not begin producing until we don’t have light shining in our eyes. We are disrupting that when we have the light from our phone and computers out and in action. Have you ever found yourself laying in bed, going telling yourself just more episode and suddenly its 5 am? You know your tired, but you just can’t find it in you to sleep. If you are going through your day, unbelievably tired because you spent all night surfing Twitter rather than sleeping, or just not getting enough sleep, you know what you need. A social media break!
7. Increased anxiety
This comes in several different forms. You could be looking at you S/O’s ex’s sister’s BFF’s IG page. And totally freaking out because you S/O just liked their picture. What does that mean? Maybe you are torturing yourself by stalking the girl who just took the position you worked your entire adult life for. Or maybe you are giving yourself anxiety just from looking at the lifestyle of others. Looking at their fitness routines and wishing you could get to the gym. Looking at their bodies and wanting to look like that. Looking at their gorgeous hair and wishing yours wasn’t so stringy and limp. Looking at their amazing relationship and wondering if yours is just trash. We drive ourselves into these anxiety ridden spirals because we are looking at glimpses of people’s happiest moments. That is why they are posting them! Your life is not trash. It is just different! Flowers and Christmas lights are both beautiful, but they are nothing alike!
8. You are not getting your shit done
One of the biggest distracters in ours lives is our phones. It is suggested by almost any college student, professor, advisor, tutor and beyond to make sure your phone is on silent and tucked away when you are studying and/or doing homework. That phone buzzes and we automatically put down our calculus and start reading the messages from the cute guy or gal in chem! Or it could be as simple as Kylie Jenner got a new haircut and that is much more entertaining than the work in front of us. Texting during class or work is another big one. We tell ourselves we are listening to what is being said, but really we are not letting any of the information sink in because we are not REALLY listening. When our grades start to slip or we just don’t seem to be completing the responsibilities we have to complete we need to start considering a social media break.
9. You sex life is B O R I N G
Believe it or not the amount we use social media can actually effect sex! And we can’t let that happen. We spend every moment on our phone from the morning we wake up to the moment we go to bed. So where does that leave time to spend time with your partner? Just because you are with them physically does not mean you are with them mentally. You could be laying in bed next to one another, but you are still talking to your BFF about the perfect outfit for her to wear to work so she can get promoted. Literally nothing to do with you S/O. If you are spending no time together how are you going to even want to build up to wanting to have sex? Lay on the couch with no phones and you will definitely notice a difference. You need to turn off to get turned on.
10. Your spending all of your money
One of the biggest things we do on our phone and computers in online shop. We are looking at those pictures of people who look so flawless, and attached to that picture is a link for the newest face wash, makeup, clothes, hair extensions, shampoos you name it. You see all of the hottest people using them and you want to look like that too. One click later and you are buying the item! Social media gets us wrapped up in all of the materialistic items we believe that we need in order to be the best version of ourselves. When the truth is we just need to tune off and be the best version of ourselves within ourselves. Not the best version of someone else.
