27 ways you can be much happier when you quit Social Media |
Social MediaSocial Media can be a lot of fun. It has made many people happy and has given them a purpose.
Like anything else, it must be kept in its proper perspective. This means, you must never forget why you are doing it.
If everything is going according to plan, I say, "Stick with it!"
But suppose the fun is no longer there, or you are not happy, or the purpose has exhausted itself, or the perspective has gone away?
When this happens, perhaps it is time to take a break. Remember, you can always come back.
Social Media is somewhat a mystery.
Most of the time, it's fun, but often, it can be very frustrating.
The feeling of loneliness goes away for a short while. But the feeling of not measuring up can be worse.
Most likely, you have reached the point where you think you can't live without it. But when you struggle to live with it, this may be the time to make the change.
Be good to yourself. If it's getting you down, take that much needed break from it. Life can still be great, or even greater. You're about to find out, and you will be surprised.
In this post, I'm going to show you 27 ways you could benefit from taking a break from Social Media.
Social Media is almost as addicting as smoking. Some will say that it's worse.
Fortunately, it can't kill you like the former. But if it's causing you anxiety and misery, quitting cold turkey may be your only choice.
Going through a little anxiety now is better than a lot of anxiety from now on.
But don't worry, there's more. I'd never ask you to do something as drastic as taking a break from Social Media without preparing your for it in advance.
Have you ever wondered why you can remember so many things from the time when you were a child, but can't remember the things that happened 5 or 10 years ago?
It's very simple. When you were a child, you were young and inexperienced. Your mind was not pre-occupied because there were many things you had not experienced.
Now is the time to regroup yourself. You want to clean out your mind, and get it ready to concentrate on what is most important - YOU!
The way to do this is by meditation. For the next few days, meditate for one hour. Your mind will become constant and hassle-free. You will find inner peace.
Here's how to do it.
Before you begin, put your smart phone, tablet, laptop, and other devices away. Don't surrender to the temptation to go get your device, and check out what's happening.
Sit on the sofa and think of NOTHING. Let your mind do the work for you.
For a little while, you will be very bored. That's good. Now your mind is in control.
Some amazing things happen when you're bored. Give this about 20 to 30 minutes (possibly less), and your mind will open up like never before.
Boredom encourages creativity, self-esteem and original thinking. Your mind is blank when you start meditating. You will only think about the most important things, which are the things that really matter.
Would you believe this is how most of the successful entrepreneurs came up with ideas that made them millionaires? This is true!
Keep reading. You may be the next successful entrepreneur.
At this point, you will start to realize that you can live without Social Media if you have to.
It is time to become re-acquainted, or actually meet the most important person in your life. This person is your newest best friend. It's YOU!
The pressure is gone. You no longer have to please other people. The person you now want to please is your newest best friend.
Now you know what is most important to you. You are not obligated to something that used to make you so miserable. The baggage is gone.
Your mind is clear. You know what to do. New doors are about to open up for you.
Suddenly, you are more concerned with life's value and worth. There are no more high expectations from life and from yourself.
Getting whatever you want is not just a right anymore. It's automatic. If you want something, and it's within your grasp, you grab it, provided it's legal and ethical.
Life is easier. There is no more virtual life to make things complicated.
You don't need Social Media to be a social person. When your were miserable, it made you unsocial.
Life will changed for the better.
When you see friends, you won't be saying to them, “Yeah, I saw you on Social Media.”
You will realize who your real friends are.
You will also realize how Social Media takes the joy out of sharing news with people.
You will feel less anxious. More important, you will not only feel like a winner. You are a winner.
When you read a post that a person posted, you see this person at his or her best. You don't know what they're dealing with.
Very few people go into detail about their problems. This is not the place to air out dirty laundry.
If you were to meet these people, you probably wouldn't recognize them.
As part of the community, you were a part of this artificial world.
Now, the people you interact with are the ones you talk to, and who talk to you. There is no pretense.
You will now enjoy actually talking to people face to face.
Some people use platforms to mis-represent themselves, and make others think they are something they are not.
This distracts them from their real lives to the point where they forget who they are, and actually believe they are who they have created.
This will cause them not to deal with any other issues they might have.
When this person takes a break, the false, created personality of this person no longer exists.
Also, Social Media prevents people from fulfilling important tasks. They are tempted to go online instead of doing what needs to be done.
For the moment, I want to forget Merriam-Webster and use my own definition of procrastination.
My definition of procrastination is, "Not doing something that needs to be done, simply because, you don't want to do it."
Sometimes, kids will check their smart phones so they don't have to take out the garbage.
Students will go online because they don't want to study for a history text.
When you take a break, you suddenly won't feel the need to procrastinate. Your interests will shift to more important things.
You will begin to realize two things:
First, you will begin to realize the things that matter.
Second, you will begin to realize the things you can control.
Sometimes, social platforms will cause increased stress and anxiety. This results is memory failures.
This is the kind of memory that decides what is and is not important.
Because of the quick gratification from Social Media, the brain is programmed to not focus on the things that are important.
When this occurs, the things that are important become the things we feel are less interesting.
Taking a break will cause you to focus on the things that are important. This is what will now bring you gratification.
Dreaming is one of the greatest things we, as individuals, can do. It all starts when you regroup yourself, as explained above, and start meditating.
I'm not talking about the dreams we have when we're sleeping. This gets complicated. I'm talking about the dreams we have when we're awake. I have 2 definitions of a dream.
Here's the first definition. A dream is "God's way of letting us know what we're supposed to do with our lives."
Here's the second definition. A dream is "A preview of coming attractions."
With these being said, it is accurate to say that your dream is supposed to be turned into a reality. Now that you have taken a break, you can do this.
If you don't take a break, assuming you are having a miserable experience, you wouldn't have the dream in the first place. The brain wouldn't allow this to happen.
Sometimes, you have to allow yourself to dream. You never know where it will take you.
Creativity doesn't post anything. It doesn't like or share what you post. It doesn't send you a friend request.
Creativity doesn't punch a time clock.
Creativity just jumps in front of you and grabs you when you least expect it. And every time it does, your life changes for the better.
Sometimes, it will completely change life as you know it. And believe me, you will not want to go back.
Social platforms provide instant gratification. This is short lived. Creativity provides long-term gratification and sometimes, delayed gratification.
Gratification from creativity is made to last a lifetime.
The creativity is inside all of us, and this includes you. You'll see!
If everything is going according to your original plan, and you can handle the pressure, your ability to get things done, and faster, will not be affected.
On the other hand, if you are a heavy user, and the pressure gets to you, you will become less able to ignore distractions.
The inability to ignore distractions will not only slow you down when trying to get something done. It can prevent you from even getting it done.
In this case, taking a break will make you much more productive. That's a good thing.
It's great to come into contact with old friends you haven't seen in years.
Unfortunately, that lack of in-person interaction with old friends may cause a lot of anxiety and stress for some people.
Interacting with some people behind a screen may be all right some of the time. But suppose there is someone that a person, who is stressed out, would really like to see in person.
Usually, this is not possible. It's nice to communicate with people online. But this is not like communicating in person. Not being able to see the person you want to see could cause a melt down.
In this case, taking a break will remove the screen and the barrier. Suddenly, it doesn't matter any more. There are a lot of people out there. Don't limit yourself.
This is all about pier pressure.
Sometimes, a user will see an old friend who seems to have made it in life. Even thought there is an old adage, "All that glitters is not gold", this user may not see it this way.
Thinking that the user's friend has supposedly made it, and the user supposedly has not made it can be a real problem, even though, this may only be in the mind of the user.
This can raise doubts about the user's self-worth, potentially leading to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.
A very important purpose of this article is to help you prepare yourself, in the event that you want to take a break, so you can make it in a better and more genuine world.
Be good to yourself. And remember, what you see is not necessarily what it is.
I've been using a device for more years than I would like to admit. And I can tell you, it will affect your sleep habits if you allow it to.
People who are addicted have that device in their hands from the time they wake up, to the time they go to bed. This is not good.
I've worked with a device long enough to know that you sometimes see that screen in your sleep.
However, if you put your device away long before going to bed, it won't affect you as much, if, at all.
The ability to put your device away will start to come easier to you, because you now realize you can live without it.
When someone is addicted, all they do is check their smart phone or tablet. It's as if they are afraid they will miss something.
Social addiction can lead to decreased physical activity levels, if you allow it to.
This is because people with an obsession are often sitting down and not moving around.
This is not good for a person's overall healtlh. This can also lead to unhealthy eating habits.
If you take a break, you will find other interests, and habits. Also, life will be a lot more meaningful for you, and you may find it necessary to start living a more healthy life. Who knows? You may start working out every day.
You will find that you have more reason to live than ever.
Before beginning a workout program, it is recommended that you consult your doctor.
Social platforms try to condition us to use others' opinions of ourselves, and of other things. And for many users, they do this quite well.
If they succeed, this prevents us from building our own self-image of ourselves, and our own opinions of the things going on around us.
It's as if we need affirmation from other people because we no longer trust our own judgements. People suddenly think, "If so-and-so says it's OK, then I'm OK with it!".
Seeking affirmation from others will destroy our chance for complete independence.
Suddenly, you're on your own. Taking a break, and becoming your own person will give you all the confidence you need to formulate your opinions, and stand by them.
The crutch is now eliminated, and you will be much happier.
People who are addicted find themselves sitting around for hours, looking for something to post, like, share or comment on.
They don't even know why they are doing it. They just do it because they think it's what they're supposed to do.
This goes on and on. Sub-consciously, they realize that life suddenly appears to have no purpose.
Meditating causes boredom, but as I stated earlier, this is a good kind of boredom. Your mind is clear to accept new ideas. You're open for good things to happen.
On the other hand, while you're sitting around, bored, and waiting for something interesting to show up on your device, you're not open for good things to happen. Your mind is too pre-occupied with something that means absolutely nothing.
When you take a break, immediately, you're dealing with boredom, and you know it. This kind of boredom is very short-lived, and will open the door to things you never thought possible.
You are correcting a problem caused by Social Media Addiction. And believe me, it will happen very quickly. You're on top of the situation!
Social platforms prey on our vulnerabilities, and basic instincts.
Content that focuses on extreme differences of opinions and interests between two or more people is so attractive to us. It triggers anger. It triggers fear. It changes our brain.
When someone, or something preys on the way people naturally react or behave, it will make them think the way they are told to think.
It's like people are told what to do, causing their decision making ability to become worthless. They don't make decisions because they have been programmed to believe doing so will get them into a lot of trouble.
If you have a severe addiction, taking a break will suddenly make you realize that there is only person you have to please, and this person is you.
Social Media has completely changed the way that human beings communicate.
This actually began a long time ago, before any platform ever existed. In fact, this actually began when the old telephone answering machines were invented.
People just don't want to talk to other people any more.
Today, instead of carrying on a pleasant conversation, someone will just say to you, "Send me a friend request", or "Message me" or "Look me up". If you imply that you want to talk to someone, they will tell you, "This is completely out of the question."
All of the human values have gone. And without these values, how are people going to get along with each other?
They're not. It's as if people are happy being a part of that virtual, artificial world. They don't want to bother anyone, and they don't want anyone to bother them.
Real friendship is much more than just friend requests, likes and shares.
Emotional Intelligence is the ability to manage both your own emotions and understand the emotions of people around you.
If you know people only on a computer screen, this is impossible.
With the exception of family members (sometimes), you know nothing about these people. And they only share what they want you to know.
When interacting with people face to face, you can establish eye contact. You can read their body motions. You can learn more about them without their having to say a word.
Try doing this on a computer screen. It can't be done!
Take a break, and you will start interacting with more people in person.
Meaningful relationships are those that are important, and include mutual respect, trust, interest, positive regard and making the other person feel valued.
The key to making these relationships work is honesty. This enhances a lasting relationship.
Ask yourself this question:
Are all my friends on Social Media meaningful relationships?
I didn't think so.
Here's another question:
Was the best man (maid of honor) at my wedding a meaningful relationship?
Get the point?
If you are addicted, you won't have time for meaningful relaionships. You'll be too busy satisfying your addiction.
An unfortunate fact is, individuals determine their own social and personal worth based on how they measure up against others.
But remember what I told you earlier. All that glitters is not gold.
Here's another fact. Don't believe anything you hear, and half of what you see.
I'm not saying that people are bad. What I am saying is, some people have the tendency to make themselves appear better off than they really are.
I ask you, "If the person was a meaningful relationship, would it bother you?"
Probably not!
This has to do with a lot more than just Social Media.
Even if you're not on a platform, you still shouldn't be texting while driving.
Unfortunately, the addiction to social platforms has become more powerful than the addiction to texting.
Before rushing to the device to see if you've missed something, you should first think of where you are. Driving on the freeway is not the place to do this.
Who knows? If you take a break, it could save your life.
Platforms are in business to make money.
One of the ways they do this is by collecting your private information, and selling it to big tech companies. Most do this, but not all.
If you take a break, you'll still be using the internet. This means, your private information can still be seen.
The risk is still there, but not as great. Social Media Platforms are notorious about doing this. They have the access to your most sensitive data in their hands.
They have what big tech wants, and they're not going to miss the chance to make that money.
If you don't have the addiction, be careful what you share. You don't know who will see it, and it's very possible it could be someone who you don't want to see it.
Earlier, I spoke of dreaming, and turning your dream into a reality.
There is one very important word I left out. This is the one word that describes exactly how you will turn your dream into a reality.
The word is passion.
As long as you're addicted, the only passion you think you will have is checking posts, likes, comments and friend requests.
That's not real passion. But your dream is your real passion.
And let me add on final note. Turning your dream into a reality takes a lot of hard work. But if you have the passion, you will do it. Passion is what drives you to succeed.
Platforms have changed priorities in three ways:
The news media, and Social Media have made different claims about the same daily occurrences. Nowadays, it's difficult to determine what is opinion, or the actual truth.
Historical facts have always been described as what “is” or what “happened”, until recently. Now, they are described as what “ought to be” or what “ought to have happened”.
We see this a lot in professional sports. A professional football player thinks he is being mistreated by his team. Therefore, he takes out his frustrations on Social Media.
The results of all of this: People talking from both sides of their mouths.
What happened to the simple days, when it was this way, or it was that way? It's as if the media is trying to convince everyone that what happened, didn't really happen.
Even if there was an eye witness, 3 feet away, it didn't really happen. Are they deliberately trying to drive everyone crazy?
Platforms have cause people to lose touch with the things that really matter.
We can't go back and change time.
If you don't have the addiction, by all means, stay put! Social Media is a great thing.
Most people can handle it. But if you can't, and have a severe addiction, it could cause you major problems. For you, I say you should strongly consider taking a break. You will reap most of the benefits. But more important, you will have piece of mind.
I could have mentioned something about Cyberbullying, but chose not to. This is a personal issue. It has nothing to do with an addiction. If you are a victim of this, all you have to do is call the authorities. There are people who are trained to handle this.
Moreover, if someone wants to bully another person, they don't need a computer to do this. The only reason it's called Cyberbullying is because it's being done online. Bullying is bullying, no matter where it originates. And it should not be tolerated by anyone.
If you're thinking about making a change, it is very important that you do what you feel is the right thing to do.
I hope this article has helped you.
AND:
Remember! At SurfSideSafe, we are here to make your life much better.
Join SurfSideSafeCreating an account with SurfSideSafe is very easy.In a few minutes, you will have the best Social Media experience you have ever had in your life.   |
Creating an account with SurfSideSafe is very easy.
In a few minutes, you will have the best Social Media experience you have ever had in your life.
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