Are you tired of seeing your acquaintance’s endless vacation pictures? Did your relative post an ignorant post about immigration again, and you are starting to dread the family gathering? Do you find yourself checking how many likes your gorgeous pool side cocktail got? It might be time to step back and figure out if your social media usage is benefiting you or the faceless company that created the app.
On social media, everyone posts their most flattering selfies and best moments. It is very unlikely that anyone is going to put their horrible experiences on display for everybody to see. If someone travels around the world, they will probably post a bunch of photos of it on Instagram, but if they get fired for incompetence, they probably won’t mention it on Facebook. Why compare your life to the other’s virtual life you see on social media and feel depressed? Why compare your worst moments with everyone else’s best? Taking a break from social media will make you more content and more satisfied with your life. When you take a much needed Facebook vacation, you might discover unexpected benefits.
1. You will get valuable time back
Gone will be the endless scrolling and reacting to push notifications that makes us compulsively tap and click. Now there will be time to squeeze in 15 minutes of learning a new language while standing in a line or catching up with your favorite science fiction author while sitting at the pool. When was the last time you have finished a great book?
2. You will get rid of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)
With your social media icons deleted, you will no longer agonize over why you didn’t go to the renaissance festival and had the best turkey leg of your life. No worries over why you didn’t see the latest musical when it seems like everybody from the office has taken a selfie in their audience seat.
3. You will appreciate your life more
Without the constant flood of other people’s manicured lives, you will refocus on your own life and you can finally be free to stop comparing your lifestyle to somebody else’s exotic vacations and expensive throw pillows. Practice gratitude for your health, family, and running water without the constant comparisons.
4. You will be less depressed
Social media usage has been proven to increase rates of depression in adults. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh asked 1,787 American adults to report how much time they spent on 11 popular social media platforms (for non-work purposes). Most participants spent an average of 61 minutes on a social media site a day and the longer they lingered - sharing, liking or hashtagging, the more prone to depression they seemed to be.
Using social media is a fun modern way to document your life but its addictive nature (which was specifically designed to keep you hooked) can be a true detriment to one’s life. Try a social media detox for a weekend or a day and re-discover your life in its pure form.