Benefits of Taking Social Media Breaks
Madison Forman
July 28, 2022
Do you ever feel like your entire life revolves around social media? Well, I know I do and it can sometimes be overwhelmingly self-consuming. Over time, we can get accustomed to our phones almost like our life depends on it. Don’t get me wrong, social media has its benefits. It allows you to branch out and connect with individuals, express your creativity, and learn new things. Overall, it is a great way to stay in touch with your friends and family worldwide. However, social media has its downfalls.
For starters, it can be highly addictive. According to research, when an individual receives a like, mention, or retweet the brain receives a rush of the happiness chemical, dopamine. To put this into perspective, when any type of notification pops up, the brain perceives it as a reward. Social media increases overall phone usage and in return, this can lead to anxiety, depression, and stress. Nonetheless, a detox is the best way to go if you feel as though you are becoming dependent on social media. Listed below are the benefits and positive signals our brain receives that come from taking a break from social media:
1. Increased productivity
The idea of how short our attention span can be is called “The Goldfish Effect.” Social media decreases our attentiveness which in return, decreases productivity. Research has shown that since the year 2000, the average human’s attention span has decreased from 12 seconds to nearly 8 seconds. This is just one second less than a goldfish. Setting aside time away from social media and your phone helps to focus on things that need your attention and increases your productivity.
2. Improved mental health
Inordinate amounts of time spent on social media results in increased feelings of anxiety and depression. It is common to compare yourself to others on social media and “not feel good enough.” Ever heard of the saying “Comparison is the Thief of Joy”. The feeling of not matching up because you are comparing your reality to someone else’s “social media” reality can create feelings of depression.
We all know the benefits of restful sleep and getting our 8 hours. A lot of us tend to reach for our phone when we should instead be focusing on winding down for the day. This view into a blue screen that is bringing to us all of the things going on in the external world when we should be focusing on our internal thoughts is a big contributor to impacting our sleep cycles. Sleep deprivation results in anxiety and stress. In order to improve your overall mental health, a detox is a great step in the right direction. Some suggestions include: no screen time before bed, setting time limits, turning off notifications, or picking up a new hobby.
3. Improved mental well-being
Well-being refers to your overall happiness and quality of life. Deleting, erasing, or taking a break from social media boosts your quality of life! In positive psychology there are 6 aspects of life and wowe encompasses all of them: relationship, physical, transcendence, environment, passion, and emotional.
If you ever feel overwhelmed or stressed, you can try out these fun activities to improve your overall well-being!
wowe offers a wide variety of activities that can suit your lifestyle. Little steps lead to bigger accomplishments. Challenge yourself and give your body that social media detox that it deserves. You can download wowe here to reap the benefits of the curated activities that allow you to go out and enjoy them.
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