Life 6 years ago Why Social Media Cleanses are B.S.
There has been a lot of noise about people wanting to disengage from social media lately.
It’s kind of like we all went a little too hard at the bar on Saturday night and are suffering a big, massive hangover. Everyone kind of went nuts with social media over the past few years and now we are all going to the opposite extreme. I’ve read countless articles from people doing a cleanse from social media and also hear a lot of people say how they are going to “quit” Instagram and Facebook.
Quitting social media does have a nice ring to it, I’ll admit.
A few weekends ago Grant and I drove up to Malibu on Sunday, specifically to take photos for my blog and social media. On the drive there, I opened up the conversation about how exhausting social media can feel sometimes. I shared with him what I learned from reading up on people wanting to quit and basically how everyone is kind of over it. I told him how it would be nice to not “have” to drive up to Malibu to snap photos {even though no one was pressuring me to do this but myself}, but at the same time we both pointed out how nice it was that it got us off the couch on Sunday morning, and out and about getting some fresh air.
Sometimes social media can push you to do things outside of your comfort zone and help create memories you would not have otherwise experienced.
I get it. There is a lot of white noise out there and it can feel overwhelming and sometimes really annoying when all you see on your feed are cute girls eating croissants in Paris. I would probably never quit social media because it is what I have built my career off of. But when I thought about the idea of quitting social media just because of the way it sometimes makes me feel, I decided to dig a little deeper on the reasons why instead. While I sometimes feel frustrated by the pressure to post, I also appreciate all of the incredible experiences that social media has brought to my life.
So why do a cleanse? Here are the top 5 reasons why people consider them – and why I think it’s all just a matter of finding the right balance, versus a complete shut down.
5. You Feel Addicted
Maybe you’re not addicted, you’re just bored. Have you ever tried putting your phone in another room for an hour? Sometimes we reach for our phones out of habit because we don’t know what else to do with the small spaces of time between other activities. When quitting cold turkey doesn’t feel like a healthy choice, try detaching in small doses.
4. You Feel Left Out
Social media can definitely highlight feelings of insecurity and self-doubt, however you cannot blame Instagram for making you feel left out. You are the one who is choosing to stay home on a Saturday night. If you don’t have plans, be sure to make plans. Even if it means going to a movie solo, at least you won’t be at home sitting on the couch staring at people on Instagram who are out and about.
3. You Want To Feel More Present
One of the top reasons for doing a full stop on social media is to work on being more present and “in the moment.” However, think about how many times you communicate with your friends and keep in touch with each other via social media? I know it isn’t the case for everyone, but I really like keeping in touch with people that I would not normally see on a regular basis via Facebook etc… It’s fun to see their children grow up when they are living in another state and you can’t see them very often.
2. You Use Social Media As An Unhealthy Escape
Have you ever taken a moment to sit down and make a list of all of the things in life that you spend time doing and how these things make you feel? A lot of us use our phones as an outlet, an escape, from something else that is creating negative feelings in our lives. If you are left feeling awful after scrolling through Instagram, perhaps you should re-evaluate who you are following, not the entire idea of social media in general.
1. It’s Too Much Pressure
Quitting and putting yourself on a ban from using social media is only going to add pressure to yet one more area of your life that needs work. At the end of the day, if you are wanting to spend less time on social media, spend less time on social media. There’s no need to go on a deleting spree and announce to the world that you are doing a cleanse. Even when you go on a juice cleanse, the idea is to purge but then come back and approach eating in a healthier manner. Instead of going on a full quitting spree, maybe just try to modify your usage and see how that feels.
What are your thoughts on doing a social media cleanse? Have you ever thought about quitting all together?
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