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Why I Fast From Social Media OFTEN

Updated: Feb 3, 2023


For the past 3 years, I gave up social media for lent

Yup. That's 40 days without Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook. Although every year I feel like a brand new person, I keep coming back and I get lost in the sauce again. There are many pros and cons to social media, but I strongly believe that we need boundaries to enjoy the benefits more than the downsides.


This year, especially, my fast was so different. I was living alone in Florida, working in a brand new hospital, and didn't know a soul. But I've never felt so connected, present, productive, and clear-minded. I was forced to talk to people, make conversations, sit still and just BE BORED. I even made small talk with strangers... I thought old people were so weird for that and here I am HA.


But since I had nothing else to do, I read A LOT and did all the things I'd been putting off. I took a lot of time to myself and established a routine that wasn't centered around my phone. There were so many little moments and signs in my day-to-day life that I never noticed before. I felt so much peace and reassurance. I was in tune with the real me, I wasn't trying to prove myself to anyone or felt like I had to show people what I was doing every second. I wrote letters and made more phone calls than I ever had. I found more hobbies, became more creative, and then ended up with a blog at the end of it!! I almost didn't download anything back. But I had to share the news and start this new journey. And now... I'm stuck again. LOL, jk. I'm finding BALANCE! When I find myself subconsciously clicking social media apps as soon as I open my phone, I know I need a break.


Ok, so that was my testimony, let's look at how seriously excessive social media can impact our mental health.

The negative aspects of Social Media

Anxiety

A 5,000-person study found that higher social media use correlated with self-reported declines in mental and physical health and life satisfaction.

— American Journal of Epidemiology, 2017


"The number one psychiatric disorder among teenagers is anxiety. Specifically anxiety around checking social media"

— Dr. Larry Rosen, Research Psychologist


"Fear of missing out (FOMO) causes issues in self-esteem, triggers anxiety, and fuels even greater social media use."

— Dr. Yalda Uhls, UCLA Centers for Scholars


Depression

One study provides evidence that greater time spent on social networking websites was associated with poor self-rated mental health, unmet need for mental health support, increased psychological distress, and increased suicidal ideation.

Another study found a 70% increase in self-reported depressive symptoms among the group using social media.

Another study revealed that depression and time spent on Facebook by adolescents are positively correlated.

More importantly, symptoms of major depression have been found among the individuals who spent most of their time on online activities and performing image management on social networking sites.

Another study assessed gender differences in associations between social media use and mental health. Females were found to be more addicted to social media as compared with males.

— From the National Library of Medicine, Curues, 2020


Self-harm

Social media use by minors has significantly increased and has been linked to depression and suicidality.

Simultaneously, age-adjusted suicide rates have steadily increased over the past decade in the United States with suicide being the second most common cause of death in youth. Hence, the increase in suicide rate parallels the simultaneous increase in social media use.

Online social networking also leads to increased exposure to and engagement in self-harm behavior due to users receiving negative messages promoting self-harm, emulating self-injurious behavior of others, and adopting self-harm practices from shared videos.

Greater time spent on social networking websites led to higher psychological distress, an unmet need for mental health support, poor self-rated mental health, and increased suicidal ideation.

— From the Journal of Indian Psychiatry, 2018


Attention-deficit

"The prefrontal cortex is not developed until the mid to late twenties so young people don't have the self-control or knowledge to know what is happening when they're on their screens. They ultimately get trained by their devices and become addicted to continuous input and stimulus of information. Being addicted to mindless scrolling takes away time from activities critical for development like nature, face-to-face communication, physical activity, and sleep."

— Dr. Yalda Uhls, UCLA Centers for Scholars


In a two-year study of more than 2,500 high school students in Los Angeles, NIH-funded researchers found that those who consumed the most digital media were also the most likely to develop symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

— NIH, 2018


Additionally, social media can lead to:

  • Self-absorption

  • Inadequacy about your life or appearance

  • Isolation

  • Cyberbullying

  • Brain fog

  • Sleep deprivation

  • Chronic comparison

  • Poor face-to-face communication skills


Social Media Benefits

That was a lot of doom and gloom but as we know, social media has a lot of positive potentials. These are just a few of the many benefits social media offers:

  • Staying up to date with family and friends around the world

  • Finding new friends, communities, networks

  • Join and promote causes, raise awareness

  • Seek or offer emotional support during tough times

  • Educating the public

  • Endless information at your fingertips

  • Being creative, expressing yourself



Establishing boundaries

There is a social pressure to have technical literacy- which is crucial in this new world. But we need boundaries and education to be responsible with our devices. Social connection is critical for our mental health. But as noted above, social media quantity and quality can do more harm than good.

  • Reduce time online

    • LOOK AT YOUR SCREEN TIME

    • Set screen time limits on social media apps and STICK TO THEM

    • Limit phone use as soon as you wake up

    • Do not bring your phone to bed with you!! Plug it in across the room or outside the door

  • Turn notifications off

    • Out of sight out of mind!! You don't need to see every like and comment as it happens in real-time

    • Schedule time windows to check notifications

  • Unfollow accounts that make you feel inadequate

    • Purge who you follow and don't feel bad about it

    • What you see on your feed everyday CHANGES you

    • Follow encouraging, educational, motivational accounts to perk up your life

  • Take a couple of days off social media once a month

    • Delete the apps from your phone and surrender to serenity!!

    • Especially, if you are in a busy season, with big projects, life events, etc. This is a good time to take a break and eliminate distractions

Things to ask yourself:

  • Are you using social media as a substitute for real life?

    • Social media may be quick and convenient, but there are often healthier, more effective ways to satisfy a craving out of boredom

  • Are you an active or passive user on social media?

    • Passively scrolling through posts or anonymously following the interaction of others on social media doesn’t provide any meaningful sense of connection

  • Does social media make you feel inadequate or disappointed about your life?

    • You can counter symptoms of FOMO by focusing on what you have, rather than what you lack

Productive alternatives to mindless scrolling

  • Make conversation with a stranger

  • Call a family member and tell them you <3 them

  • Read a book

  • Find a hobby or rekindle your love for an old one

  • Write a letter to your lover

  • Join a club or community group

  • Volunteer

  • Write down 3 things you are grateful for

  • Plan your week

  • Meal prep

  • Go for a walk and listen to a motivational podcast

  • Schedule a coffee d8 with an old friend

Think about all the time you would have to do the things YOU want to do- if you didn't waste away on Tik Tok 5 hours daily, 35 hours weekly, AND 140 HOURS MONTHLY.

I never believe anyone who says 'I don't have time for XYZ.' You do. But it's a choice. Make time. Be the victor, not the victim.


To learn more about social media algorithms, political disinformation, and discrimination watch The Social Dilemma on Netflix.



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