Media Break- It's for Your Mental Health

I canceled cable a few years ago, because as expensive as it was there was never anything I wanted to watch. Additionally, I was never home to watch it enough. There are so many pros to this and one is avoiding the news. I don't know about you, but it gets depressing when all I see is the bad side of people. Now, however, the news I avoided has infiltrated social media and I cannot avoid it. I love Facebook, Tiktok, Instagram, and being able to catch up with friends, but the feed I have been seeing is bashing others for beliefs they have or crime stories that make me want to be sick. This past week I decided I couldn't take it anymore and have been avoiding most social media. I needed to for my mental health.

I never realized how much social media was a part of my life. I check my Facebook feed multiple times during the day and post almost as often. When did my life consist of being in someone else's business or let them into mine? 2020 has surely been a weird year and stressful all by itself. E left for the military and less than a month later I was unemployed.

The job I coveted so much was no longer there to busy my mind and keep me focused on more important things. Now, I find myself stalking his military group daily for the possible picture that may get posted of E. To say I miss him is an understatement. So, I was spending most of my time on social media without even realizing it.

I was reading news that I normally avoided and I found my mood was souring from the moment I first logged in. Why was I doing this to myself? There is no valid reason because I can catch up with my friends via phone call or text and I could visit the formal website for photos of E and there isn't news listed there.

It has been really weird for me to be away from social media, but I find that I am not missing it nearly as much as I thought I would. I wake with a peace of mind and I am falling asleep at night at a normal time. I awake refreshed and less moody.

Today, I am challenging all of you to go one day without social media.

Can you do it? What will you miss the most? If you did it what did you see differently in yourself?

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