Trigger warning: this article mentions suicide and self-harm.
For a lot of us, social media is centered around our world. Take, for example, when we are hit with an awkward silence during a conversation, the first thing our hands tend to reach out for is our phone. What was once considered rude has now become acceptable in society. We are drawn to our phones as though there is an invisible cord that attaches us to them. Our bright new devices, though, harm our mental health as studies have found an increased risk for depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts.
Try thinking about a time when you overspent hours on your phone, you probably did not come out feeling joyful, right?
Social media is an expert at making us feel insecure about our appliance and life. It is vital for us to keep in mind that these pictures are edited and manipulated but often we can forget this, especially on those rainy days and this in turn promotes dissatisfaction and envy within our own lives.
Social media makes us devalue our lives and feel like the lives of others are so exciting. In turn, it makes us feel isolated, hence increasing feelings of loneliness as humans need face-to-face interaction for a better mental well-being. We can often get so self-absorbed whilst using social media that we forget reality. This, in turn, leads us to begin prioritizing our relationship with our phone over other ones. We often get so lost in our phone that we feel like time has flown by and it has come to a point where some of us spend more time on social media than we do with our friends.
Although excessive use of your phone and social media is draining, why then are you so drawn to it? Hyper connectivity triggers impulse control problems. Alerts and notifications break your concentration, disrupt your sleep, and, in turn, draw you to your phone.
What can you do to reduce your usage?
Please start by turning off your notifications, track how much time you spend on your phone, and limit the time you spend by setting time restrictions on your applications. Turn off your phone at certain times during the day, and do not carry it with you unless you absolutely need it. Do not bring your device to bed. Try to delete social media applications from your phone, especially the ones you excessively use. Change your focus and pick up a new activity that you have wanted to do. Spend more time offline but keep yourself busy.