Why I Unplugged from Social Media

Did you know the global daily average time spent on social media in 2019 was 144 minutes? That is almost three hours focused solely on social media platforms. Don't get me wrong, social media has a multitude of benefits, from networking to connecting with family and friends, these platforms definitely have there strong suits. 

But what happens when the notifications of likes and follows on a screen becomes more important than anything else? 

This is what happened to me and I decided it was time for me to...

Taking myself off social media was a difficult decision. I have already caught myself checking Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Snapchat, so I turned off the notifications to make it easier on myself. 

If this is going to be so hard, why am I doing it? 

Social Media has become a necessity in my life, not just personally but professionally. And it has become that way for millions of people. Not only did I strive to have a huge social following but I became so determined that I got my degree in Public Relations and Social Media Marketing. In the three short years since graduation, my life has been focused around algorithms, hashtags and trends. 

My full time job is focused around social media for the company so I wasn't able to focus on my own platforms as much until recently. After diving back into analytics, my whole focused was based around getting followers and likes. I became obsessed with seeing that notification pop up on my phone and started getting discouraged when they didn't. All the sudden my happiness and self worth was based around getting likes from complete strangers. 

As you can imagine, this did not put me in a good place mentally. 

The last few weeks have been stressful with getting a new job, working from home, sticking to my workouts, eating healthy and following along with our society being crazy due to COVID-19. 

This is me realizing how bad social had gotten for me and knowing that I do not want to be in a negative headspace. Sometimes we get lost in the day to day and I needed to be reeled back to reality. 

Don't worry, I will be back. But for now, I am stepping away from the screen. 

It has only been one day but I can honestly say it has been amazing. I got more work done, went on a walk, called some family members, worked out, did laundry, and started writing on here. I haven't felt this productive in a long time. 

As for a timeline, I am just taking this day by day. Putting my focus into my job, working out, eating healthy again, and connecting with friends and family. Now more than ever, we all need to stick together and stay positive. 

Stay safe. Stay home. Stay healthy. 

Thriving, 

Saraliz