Humans are social beings. We need the connectedness of others to prosper in life, and the strength of our connections has a huge impact on our mental health and well-being. The lack of strong social connections can create problems to your mental and emotional health.
In today’s world, many of us rely on social media platforms in order to find and connect with each other. While they do offer positive benefits such as professional and personal opportunities, an avenue for networking, and a means to connect with friends and family instantly — it’s important to remember that social media can never be a replacement for real-world human connection.
While there may be positive benefits for some, there are also negative effects from excessive social media use that can adversely impact your mental health.
Heavy social media use may lead to negative experiences including:
● Isolation
● Depression and Anxiety
● Self-absorption
● Cyberbullying
● Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)
Who would have thought that overusing Facebook, Instagram, TIkTok, and Twitter could cause these serious problems? Many people don’t think about how it is affecting their lives, adults and children alike. Having these accounts is not wrong, but we need to put more thought into how and why we are using them. One way to eliminate or greatly lessen these negative experiences that many of us deal with is to simply get rid of the apps on your phone.
Removing phone apps can significantly change the way you feel, sleep, and will help you focus on the important things in your life. In my own experience, getting rid of social media appshas drastically improved my mental well-being. Another helpful tip is to give yourself permission to spend a certain amount of time on social media in a time-frame that is most supportive for you in order to achieve your detox goals. People have found that cutting off social media accounts cold turkey to be less effective. For most people it is best to do things slowly and phase in these changes. These are some of the tips that I have found to be successful in my detox journey. I encourage you to , give them a try.
Personally, doing a social media detox has changed my life in a meaningful way and I am more open to trying new things. A colleague of mine recently had a similar experience doing a “detox.” Her Facebook post intrigued me, and I would like to share with you what her recent journey has been like.
“It started with a girls trip on March 5th. I thought I would temporarily delete my email, slack and social manager apps off my phone to eliminate the possibility of me working on my vacation.
Then during our family Spring Break trip on March 13th…I thought I would temporarily delete Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn so that I would avoid being sucked into the social media vortex while spending quality time with the family. But now…NOW it’s permanent. Over the last few weeks I’ve been making a lifestyle change and this is an FYI post to my social media friends.
You see…I’ve had THE MOST peaceful and productive few weeks simply by eliminating the 1,000+ daily notifications that were constantly interrupting my day. Instead of getting sucked into reels…I’m having real conversations with my kids. Instead of getting distracted by posts, I’m riding the quads with my son to find the perfect spot for a picnic lunch. Instead of “liking” someone’s post…I’m calling a friend to check in…or sending a note to let them know I’m thinking of them. No judgment to all my social media friends (my husband is still fully engaged online)…it’s just not for me anymore. My soul is drawn to something more tangible, like fresh coffee and conversations on the patio with friends. I think my word for 2022 is: Savor
To post this message…I’m using my computer….’cause it’s the only access I have left.
I’m thinking I’ll pop in from time to time to share a peek of our lives and take a peek at all the fun you are having…but don’t be surprised if I totally disappear at some point. I’m out striving to live my best life and sending you lots of love and light as you live out yours.”
How refreshing to hear of her experience! If you have ever felt like you need at times to be off of social media, do it. It has been a remarkable endeavor for a lot of people and maybe you will find that you really don’t need social media to make a difference in the world, maybe you will reconnect with your family, live your life that isn’t through your phone, and get out of your comfort zone and try new things with the extra time that is now yours to spend. There are endless possibilities in the world of the unknown, let’s go make it happen together.
We help Integrative Medicine and Functional Medicine professionals communicate their message. We believe:
“Wellness is more than the absence of disease, and methods of diagnosis and treatment of illness that address the root cause(s) are preferable to approaches that simply treat symptoms of a disease or condition.”
— Mike Gemmell and Tasha Spradlin, co-founders, Health Marketing Innovations