In today’s society, everything we do involves social media. No matter where I am, I can’t help but see people attached to their phones. It seems that wherever I go, people are posting a photo on Instagram, taking a Snapchat, or updating their Facebook status.
Now don’t get me wrong: social media can be great. It can be a way to express yourself and share your life with people who you may not get to see everyday.
However, it can also negatively affect your health if you’re obsessing over it.
1. You’re not feeling good enough.
With Instagram being such a popular app, it’s impossible not to compare yourself to the people you see on it. When scrolling through my feed, I always see models or girls in bikinis and sometimes they make me regret that Big Mac I ate the night before.
It’s okay to admire people’s beauty but if the people you are seeing are making you feel that you aren’t good enough, this is when social media becomes a problem.
Try taking a step back and remember that most of the things we see on social media are edited with apps and filters. Don’t forget that you are beautiful and that you don’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.
2. You aren’t living in the moment.
Something that I struggle with because of social media is living in the moment.
Anytime I am somewhere cool or eating something yummy, I always feel the need to either Snapchat it to my friends or take a picture of it to post on my Instagram.
If you are doing things solely “for the gram,” this is when social media can become a problem. There is nothing wrong with taking pictures, but make sure that you aren’t making this your main focus. Live in the moment rather than focusing on posting it to your Snap story.
3. It’s making you restless.
If you are finding it hard to relax because you are spending time scrolling through social media, this is a problem for your health.
Getting enough rest and giving your body time to relax is very important. One of my biggest tips for this is to stay off social media an hour before you go to sleep. Put your phone away from your bed, so that you aren’t tempted to scroll through Instagram late at night.
4. It’s giving you major FOMO.
FOMO, otherwise known as “fear of missing out,” is something that happens a lot more due to social media. Anytime my friends go somewhere and I see it on social media, it affects my mood right away.
If you are constantly refreshing your social media pages and getting depressed because you have FOMO from seeing what everyone else is doing, social media may be affecting your health in a negative way.
5. It’s making you less productive.
If you find yourself spending all of your time of social media, it will make you feel less productive and more inactive.
It’s important for your brain to take some time off from social media, so make sure you aren’t making this the main focus of your day.
Image: iStock
Reflect & Refresh 