Why I Take Regular Social Media Breaks

At least once a month or so, I deactivate my social media accounts. You see, I can have a bit of an addictive personality, and when I like something, and I can go a bit overboard with it. With social media, I love creating content and love to feel like I’m making a positive impact on someone’s life and encouraging them in some way.

But when I scroll through social media for an extended period, I usually feel pretty bad after. I feel like I’ve wasted hours of my life scrolling into oblivion, refreshing my feed, and obsessing over the aesthetic of my own profile.

I know you may be thinking, “just don’t scroll, just post your content and get off.” Well, if you use social media and you’re honest with yourself, you know it’s not that simple.

As human beings, we are naturally curious and crave connection. These social media platforms make it really hard to just post and get off. Not many people can ignore the red hearts, likes, or message notifications they receive when they open the app, and I’m no different.

Check out the movie The Social Dilemma, it talks all about the psychology of social media from the perspective of the app developers, and it’s actually quite scary.

I tell my kids to take a break from their social media all the time for this very reason, and as an adult and a parent, I believe it’s important to practice what I preach.

I’ve found that my mental well-being is negatively impacted by social media when I use it regularly, and I’ve decided to put my mental health first. I’ve learned to take breaks when I need them.

I know that being off social media helps me to be more present, focused, and productive, and I have more time to focus on the things and people that are most important to me.