Social Media and Wellbeing

Cutting Back on Social Media for Health and Well-being

Are you one to hear the buzz of your smartphone’s notification in the middle of the night and you simply must get up to see who it could be and what they want? Do you check social media status every five minutes while at work?!

You just might be a Social Media Addict.

That’s alright!! You can ‘fess up. This is a safe place to unburden yourself of your social media sins.

A Social Problem

But seriously, this is a serious problem. So much so that psychologists and counsellors (and yes, even pastoral carers!), are suggesting we take our lives back from the social media intelligence-gathering Beast and have a time-out.

Studies have shown that cutting back on social media will help you feel less stressed-out and will liberate at least 90 minutes a day, which you can add to your leisure time.

Not surprisingly, giving social media the boot - if not forever then at least for a short time - will help you sleep better; giving you more good quality, restorative sleep, our bodies and minds crave for normal and healthy functioning.

Refresh - Take a Vacation

Experts in Social Media Addiction (yes, it’s really a thing now) say social media cutback has become a trend, with a swathe of Australians planning Social Media ‘vacations’ to enter once again the realm of normal human beings.

As usual, exasperated youth are refusing to ‘vacation’ with their parents. May we see School Strike for Social Media access on the horizon? C’est la vie, so goes the French saying!

Ditching Social Media is a trend that follows hot on the heels of research demonstrating a range of health benefits to booting the Beast.

In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph digital media strategist, Meg Coffey, notes while people have been talking about limiting social media participation for awhile, it has only been in recent years many have been taking action.

“A lot of us are over it and realise what a time-suck it is,” says Coffey. “It’s not helpful for your well-being.”

She insists, many of us need to have a serious conversation with ourselves about setting social media boundaries.

A Huge Time Waster

A 2019 study co-authored by Internet giant, Hootsuite, found a huge 91 minutes of Australian’s lives are flushed down the social media s-bend every day.

If this is you then you’re ripe for a change right now. Reclaim your life and limit social media use.

You Can Do Something

You can now download apps for your smartphone that will block social media and give you back your precious time to relate to other humans, like we did back in the day.

Freedom, OffTime, Focus, and Cold Turkey are just a few examples of apps that will help you block social media on your smartphone, tablet or PC. With the help of social media blockers, prayer, and a healthy portion of willpower, you can feel better, relate better, and enjoy your life again by starting your Social Media ‘vacatio’ today.