Spending time on the internet can be overwhelming sometimes and it can affect your HEALTH.
I've thought of it well of deactivating my accounts. It took me months of contemplating to decide when is the time to do it because of some factors.
Attending online classes was one of the factors that I considered. Since some of my professors require us to create a Facebook group where our recorded lectures are being posted and it is where my professor announces the schedule of our google meets and exams.
I know at some point in my life that using these social media apps are already affecting my health and studies.
Being woke about the current issues in the country has taken a toll on my mental health. Although it's not a bad thing but sometimes I would use my social media accounts to vent out about the current issues. Then, I realized that maybe my posts can affect other people too just by them reading it.
The turning point of my social media life would be me seeking validation and being pressured by what I see online. I am fond of the likes and comments that I am receiving from other people and I was pressured about the Instagram posts and their fit bodies all over social media. It affected my self-esteem and I started to compare myself to them.
Also, I don't like seeing photos of Politicians all over my feed. They are eyesores for me.
It's hard to learn during this new setup and there are a lot of distractions that can affect your learning.
To be honest, sometimes I would enter the google meet and would just scroll down over my feed until the class is over. It lead to many problems. Due to my addiction to using my social media apps, I have been piled with school works and it then affected my mental health because I already don't know where to start.
Before I finally decided to disconnect from social media, I've always discussed it with my good friend. She gave me advices that enlightened me.
I have been disconnected from the 3 major social media platforms for about 12 weeks now. And I can really say that I am doing good without it. But, being disconnected from social media has also pros and cons.
Pros and Cons
Pros
First and foremost, I am focusing on myself now rather than the lives of other people.
I focused more on my studies.
Less stressors.
Cons
Being outdated is one major factor in being disconnected from social media.
Sometimes I forget to greet my friends on their birthday since I am not good at remembering special events.
Final Note.
Before posting anything on your social media accounts, you should also consider how it will affect other people. Even if you say that it's your account, you should still be responsible for the things you post on the internet.
To be honest, I am enjoying life without social media. I've not even decided to whether when I will be activating my accounts again.
"All of those likes and comments are just a bonus. The true validation should come from yourself."
There are times that some of my friends are concerned about me being missing in action on the internet and I always tell them that I'm okay and I'm focusing my energy on myself.
You can always choose yourself over other things especially when it comes to your health. If you need to take a break from social media, then you should. As the popular gay couple ( Chris and Ian) on tiktok always say, "Focus on your blooming."
Fin.
Lead image from Pinterest.
• https://pin.it/5zsaoWD
Read my previous articles:
https://read.cash/@WanderingMedStudent/life-lately-85615563
https://read.cash/@WanderingMedStudent/are-we-really-free-62d2d844
I agree with this. I lost my previous phone last year and I also lost my connection to all of my social media accounts. Its hard at first kasi nakakaboring pero don ka kasi mapipilitan na gumawa ng mga bagay na walang hawak na phone. For a month na wala akong phone, naging regular yung sleep ko, nakakapag workout ako nang consistent, at naboost yung mental health ko. Never felt that for a long time. Ngayong graduate na ako, siguro 1 week from now, idedeactivate ko lahat ng socmeds ko. Telegram, noise at read lang ako magfofocus.