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From models like Charli D’Amelio and Kylie Jenner to intense news: being on social media can shake you up. Sometimes it can be too much to handle. How can you manage body image, stress, and life when you’re getting so many mixed messages? It’s easy to manage when you feel centered. However, in some other cases, it may be healthy to take a break. Here’s how to tell that social media isn’t good for your mental health anymore. In addition to certain signs, you are ready to go again.
1. The first thing in your morning routine is to check your phone.
Checking your phone a few times in the morning can be okay, but over time it can become an unhealthy habit. Checking your social media in the morning can turn a perfectly happy morning into anything but. It’s been proven that checking your phone first thing in the morning can prevent our brains from properly prioritizing tasks for the day. Indeed, by choosing to stare at our phone, we have been distracted and this leads to a distracted mindset all day. If you feel like you’ve been more anxious throughout the day or less focused on important things, it’s best to stay away from social activities for a while or even just in the morning. Instead of being on the phone first thing in the morning, take 10-20 minutes to meditate, focus on your breathing, or even journal or plan your day ahead.
2. You’ve had a lot of EXTRA anxiety, not to mention stress.
Some days being on social media makes you smile and laugh, but other times you may feel like the world is ending or you’re not good enough. Most of the time, negativity on social media can become something too much to handle. If you’re starting to feel anxious about little things throughout the day, or even feeling overly stressed, it’s probably time to take a break from social media.
3. You know more about what’s going on in other people’s lives than you do.
It’s easy to follow friends and celebrities and then find out what they’re up to. Sometimes you seek out or “stalk” someone’s stream because it inspires you or because you just want to get to know them better. However, this can turn into a cycle, you can start caring more about others. If you feel like you could be telling everyone about someone else’s day instead of your own. So this is most definitely a sign to take a break from all your social media. Spend the break focusing on yourself and your goals, not those of others.
4. You’re more focused on posting everything than being there in the moment
Taking the perfect shot of you and your friends at brunch or everyday food can be so cute and can totally spice up your diet. But that shouldn’t become your only focus when going out. Sometimes we can get distracted taking that perfect shot that we miss living in the moment and spending time with the people we care about. Try to spend less time focusing on the picture and actually being in the present. By taking a break from social media, you will be forced to do this, which in turn will be a very good thing for your mental health.
5. The obsession with perfection and body image is your main goal.
Over time, social media has changed from a way to share your life to a competition for perfection. There is no doubt that social media leaves people with so many mixed messages. Deciding what to post after scrolling through your feed can leave you feeling like you need to look perfect or look a certain way. While in all honesty, there are so many apps out there that allow people to professionally adjust their photos to look a certain way. What you see is what they want you to see, and that’s not always the reality. If you’ve started having more obsessive thoughts about what to post and what you look like, it’s one hundred percent time to disconnect from your social media and take a break. The damage of trying to be extra perfect or change your body is so bad for your mental health. Taking a break from social media is the first step to solving this problem.
6. You care more about what other people think and don’t want to upset followers/friends.
The world will always be full of people with conflicting opinions. Social media only fuels this fire. It’s amazing that people have gotten outspoken and stand up for what they believe in through their profiles. However, sometimes it can be difficult to go against the crowd or even be in the crowd without disturbing someone. If you’re constantly overwhelmed with the idea that people are unhappy with your posts, spend some time refocusing and accepting yourself and your own beliefs.
7. You developed separation anxiety from your phone.
This title speaks for itself. If you can’t leave without holding your phone or looking at it, take a break from social media and your phone.
Getting back to being on social media
Coming back to your social media can be so exciting. Make sure you have managed to refocus and focus on your own values. Take all the good habits you’ve developed without social media and involve them in your life with it. It may seem easier said than done, but you will surely be able to readjust in no time. Social media is an integral part of our lives, so try to make the most of it after your well-deserved break.