There is a lot of good to come from social media, but with the good comes the bad and you might find you need to take a break from it. Experts say we all should consider it.
Maintaining friendships and keeping informed are great benefits, but too much time online has been found to lead to depression, anxiety and stress and unhealthy relationships with social media platforms can form.
So how do you know if it’s the right time to take a break from social media?
• If you’re compulsively checking your phone, that’s probably sign #1. If it affects your job or family time, that’s a big problem.
• If you fall asleep feeling “off” or if you find you’re waking up worried about something you saw the night before, you might need to set up some boundaries.
• When real-life interactions suffering at the expense of getting wrapped up in online arguments, reassessing priorities may be in order.
• And if you’ve started viewing yourself negatively and comparing yourself to others online, a break may be in order.
The benefits or social media breaks can lead to new opportunities – picking up hobbies you’ve been interested in or practicing self-care, and less screen blue light can improve sleep and productivity.
Limiting your time online, getting outside, and saying no to notifications are an easy way to start rather than completely cutting yourself off. A good way to view things – think of social media like food consumption, and limit your digital calories.
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