Why I took a break from social media (the health effects of media)

Before starting Moving Like A Mother I would have described myself as an average social media user. A little Facebook here, a little Pintrest there, and a nice lil’ dose of Instagram. But lately the time spent online on my phone and my computer has sky rocketed as I try to develop and grow this blog and it’s related social media platforms. Trust me, I know, my iPhone has yelled at me for my screen time. And while I am absolutely loving creating and embarking on this new adventure, I am definitely feeling a little worn down physically, mentally, and emotionally from being immersed in social media. So I decided to take a little break from social media, and here’s why.

Why I needed a break from social media

A question I get asked a lot lately is how I am finding the time to work on my blog. My answer, I’m legit flying by the seat of my pants. I work full time as a physical therapist and I’m also a full time mom and wife so my free time is very limited. And lately all that little bit of free time has been devoted to working on Moving Like A Mother and various social media platforms. Between the hours of 8 pm and 10:30 pm every night you can find me working on blog posts, creating Instagram images, engaging on Pintrest, or editing videos. And as much as I hate to admit it I am often thinking, planning, plotting and interacting online even during hours I should be playing with my kids or talking to my husband.

Unfortunately all this extra time on social media has started to effect my sleep, my mood, my relationships, and other aspects of my holistic health. So I made a decision to take a digital detox for a week and a half to reconnect with myself and my family. I know I can’t be the only mama or person to feel they have (or maybe dabble) in an unhealthy relationship with social media. And since my purpose is to help women in all areas of health and wellness I thought it might be nice for a little 411 about social media’s effects on health and wellness.

Possible negative health effects of social media

Anxiety

There is A LOT of heavy stuff happening in the world right now. It’s all over social media and everyone has an opinion about everything. All of it can be extremely over-whelming and anxiety inducing. I support standing up for your values and being an advocate for what you believe in. But you also need to be a smart consumer of social media. Know your limits and know when to power down.

Lack of sleep

Lack of sleep is one of the biggest ways social media is negatively impacting my health. I stay up wayyy too late engaging and/or scrolling. And sometimes I have a hard time falling asleep even after powering down because my mind is racing with what I saw on social media. Plus studies have shown that the lighting from electronic screens can disrupt the natural levels of melatonin in your body, thereby disrupting your ability to fall asleep.

Decreased self esteem

“Comparison is the thief of joy”. And boy, it is hard not to compare on social media. Scrolling through images makes it very easy to compare life styles, body image, and so much more. This can have an hugely negative impact on your self worth, emotional, and mental health.

Decreased productivity

Spending your time perusing through social media may keep you from doing more productive things. For example, you might not be getting your job work done or skipping exercise or self care. It may seem relaxing at the time but ultimately you might feel stressed and anxious that you didn’t get to some of those other more important things because you spent too much time on Instagram

Decreased social connections

While it may seem like social media builds connections it can keep you from connecting to those closest to you. For me I have found less time to talk and hang out with my husband because I am spending so much of my free time on social media. Remember that those that matter the most are usually just a hug or a phone call away.

Positives of social media

So I know I have just been harping on the negatives of social media. But there are definitely some positives too. Social media is a great place to learn (ahem…maybe like, health and wellness for mothers). I follow loads of accounts that have helped me learn about cleaning, parenting, fashion, health, fitness. etc. Just be smart about what you read. Social media can also be a great place to connect with others. I know I said it can decrease social connections, and it can. But you can also build connections with other’s who are going through the same things you are. Finally, social media can be a very powerful platform. Lets just hope it gets used for good and not evil.

What I achieved from my week break with social media

I am loving creating and sharing all my content with the world. It has been so fun to branch into something new and learn about website design and social media interactions. I have even been able to reconnect with women I haven’t talked to since high school or college, and that is awesome! And my husband has been very supportive and I am slowly getting into more of a rhythm. But even still, I realized I need a mental vacation and a digital detox for all the above reasons and to allow myself a reset.

So after feeling a little worn down from the social media world I decided to ditch the Gram (and all other platforms) for a week during a little family vaca. I wanted to be present for all the little moments during vacation. Taking a break from social media would allow me to spend quality time with my kids and my husband without any distractions. I wanted to wake up in the morning, sip my coffee, and just be present in my mind. No comparing or thinking “I should be doing XYZ to grow my blog“; I just wanted to be.

And that’s what happened. A week long digital detox was just the reset I needed. I encourage all of you to give it a try. And at the very least just make sure you keep a healthy relationship with social media in order to keep yourself healthy in mind, body, and spirit.

-Monica