Boost Your Health With A Social Media Break

Is your mindset working for you or against you?

Think back to the start of 2020 and the promise of a new year. Maybe you had travel plans, special times scheduled to connect with people in new ways, goals you were excited about, ideas you wanted to release to the world – in person…

And then the world hit Pause.

Life seemed to screech to a halt. My family found ourselves having to do a whole lot of cancelling and shifting our plans to make way for the great unknown as well. It was like we were blowing up a giant balloon, about to hand it to an excited child, only to have it pop.

My mindset definitely took a hit.

Then I started to feel guilty, because I was upset over losing out on experiences that my white privilege allowed for: “Many people don’t have access to the choices that I do… I should be grateful I have a home…and food to eat…”

I was in a bit of a spiral. When moved toward the other side, some truths rose to the surface:

This isn’t the first time my life got flipped upside down and it won’t be the last.
Humans tend to find a way through life’s challenges, sometimes becoming better and stronger than before.
Feeling disappointment during this time doesn’t make you a bad person.
When you have more resources you can uplift others.

I decided to turn down the volume on the media loop that was hijacking my mind and lean into voices that reconnected me with the bigger picture. Game changer.

It reminded me of another time I hit pause.

A few years ago, I challenged myself to take a close look at how much time I spent scrolling mindlessly on my phone. I decided to do a one week experiment to see if you can really boost your mental health with a social media break. Read on to see what I learned.

The Plan

It’s kind of funny because I dove right in with no hesitancy at all. I immediately scheduled dedicated online media reading time at two intervals over the weekend. It kind of surprised me how easily I slid into the new practice of saying “not now” to social media.

It wasn’t like I didn’t have multiple urges to snap an Instagram or quickly Tweet something out. It’s just that I recognized when I did. And instead of logging on to read a post here or there throughout the week, I quickly became more intentional with those little gaps of time.

I accomplished SO much more

I should mention that I still had scheduled social media “posting” time and I replied to messages, but that was taken care of during my business hours. Having an online business and blog, of course I need to log some time in front of a screen. But as this experiment showed me, it’s easy to underestimate how the screen to take over your life.

When I checked in with myself the third day, I saw that I had a little bit more white space. I wasn’t as rushed. I was more present in my communications. I found myself ticking off more action items than usual. Nifty!

By the weekend, I had actually put off my social media reading time until Sunday afternoon. I was too busy enjoying my face to face interactions on Saturday. I could feel my soul filling with joy and satisfaction.

I had time to fully listen

Since I was unplugged, I found myself tuning in to my children on a deeper level. One afternoon, I took each of my kids aside to have a chat. I asked them what they were excited about in their life right now. What were they enjoying in their academic life? What were they unsure of? What were they curious about? How did they feel about their family relationships?

While each conversation was only about 20 minutes (they’re boys…direct and to the point), it was invaluable time spent. We cuddled, I listened and reassured.

This wonderful time together drove home to me that it’s easy as a parent to do more talking than listening. While our guidance and direction is necessary during their growth years, listening is where the magic happens. I plan to have many more chats with my boys like this in the future.

I reconnected with my ideas

I keep a little black book of my creative ideas, actionable items, things I want to research, and future plans. It’s not super-organized, but it works for me. I thought I was in hyper-touch with myself. So it was surprising to me when I found myself doing a little daydreaming while waiting in line one day.

I would usually quickly check a few things on my phone while waiting in line. Instead, I let my mind wander. It was interesting seeing where my thoughts went.

I remembered some things that I had planned to do a long time ago. I was struck by the notion to ditch some other ideas that had been lingering in my black book for too long. It was so refreshing to find a clean slate in my head, untarnished from the news feeds I follow or the cool ideas a colleague was implementing.

I slowed down and stopped comparing

It wasn’t until I closed the information vortex that I realized how often I felt rushed. It was like there was always so much to accomplish. It struck me that I’ve been comparing what I accomplish in a day to what 10 of my friends or mentors do… added all together. I’d been reading social media updates from 5-10 friends of events that actually occurred over a one-week timeframe. Not the last hour.

One of the things I enjoy most about social media is that I follow some extraordinary people, doing compassionate work, living purposeful lives, and just plain having fun! I truly feel blessed when I read their uplifting posts. So it’s funny how my subconscious mind can be tricked into thinking I’m not accomplishing enough when I check my feed. When I set aside leisure reading time for these updates, I was able to enjoy them so much more.

Does taking a social media break make for better mental health?

In my unscientific opinion, I think it does. Any practice that connects you more deeply with your soul, other people, and your purpose can boost mental health. Getting away from a screen and indulging in person to person conversation or the meanderings of your own thoughts is a good thing.

Tell Me:

Do you have boundaries in place around your social media time? Do you find it your go-to habit when you have a free moment? Pop a comment below! It’s so encouraging for all of us to hear what practices are working in this community.

Blessings,
Sheila

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