Social media showcases the best of the best in people’s lives.
News media showcases the worst of the worst in people’s lives.
Real life happens when we unplug.
The best of people’s lives.
We just got done doing a social media fast after 5pm in the office. It was a 10 day fast off all social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Tik Tok, Twitter) after 5pm.
A 2018 British study tied social media use to decreased, disrupted, and delayed sleep, which is associated with depression, memory loss, and poor academic performance. Social media use can affect users’ physical health even more directly.
Reflecting on the fast, I was able to get more done in my day then I previously had. I was able to find time for that workout, I was able to connect with my spouse, and I was able to prepare for the day ahead of me the next day. Being disconnected from social media also let me be fully present in the world.
I wasn’t scrolling, reflecting, and judging my own life.
Maybe you set a new year’s resolution for yourself and are struggling to find the time to make it happen. When you are not scrolling, the new year’s resolutions can happen!
If you haven’t set boundaries on your social media time, I would encourage you to give it a try. Try it with your household and see how much valuable time naturally occurs. Witness real conversations. I guarantee there will be no regrets.
The worst of people’s lives.
Now, let’s have a different conversation. Where social media showcases the best, we all know the news showcases the worst.
How many times do you turn on the news only to shake your head and wonder how anyone in the world could do something like that? Do you ever think how there is no hope for humanity when watching the news? Politics aside, it all takes a toll on our emotional health.
Did you know that 90% of all news is negative?
Covid really got me. I would spend every morning watching the news trying to get the latest details on the virus. After the virus settled down, I continued that habit. I never used to watch the news before. From a brain perspective, your brain is always looking for congruency around you. If you see lots of negativity, you will continue to look for negativity.
One day, I realized how stressed out I was. Then, I went back to my morning and realized I started my day with negativity by paying attention to headlines. From that day on I deleted my news app and never looked back.
Should the next 10 day challenge be a news detox? I think so.
Real life happens when we are present.