restrict your social media usage

“When it comes to social media, there are just times I turn off the world, you know. There are just sometimes you have to give yourself space to be quiet, which means you’ve got to set those phones down.” 

– Michelle Obama

There’s no doubt that social media has become a significant part of our daily lives. We can hardly go out for dinner without people taking pictures and uploading them on social media and the selfie craze is not going away anytime soon. Our generation is defining itself by a culture of likes, hearts, tweets, and snaps, and as they compound they become major distractions stealing our focus and attention.

Social media propels us to focus more on others than ourselves. Studies have shown that those who spend a significant amount of time on social media report feelings of low self-esteem and increased anxiety. Because we only see the highlight reels of other people’s lives and only their best and happiest moments, not their struggles or low points, we become more conscious of ourselves and our lives. This misrepresentation of other people’s lives gives us a distorted version of reality that works against us. Also, it can get us trapped into seeking validation from others and becoming too dependent on others for our happiness.

Social media can become a constant distraction when we’re out and about. It detracts us from the beauty of the moment and makes our experiences less enjoyable. By reducing or eliminating our social media consumption, we can bring our focus and attention back into our own lives and in the physical world around us. We can spend that time, instead, on having meaningful experiences and conversations or consuming relevant information that benefits us and gives us a better view of the world we live in.