Is Social Media Toxic — Being Mindful

I

If you are one of those people who cannot focus on the important everyday tasks just because you are mindlessly scrolling through posts on social media, then this post is for you. Excess of anything is bad and when this obsession goes unchecked, you should really stop and ask yourself: Is Social Media Toxic?

Is Social Media Toxic
Is Social Media Toxic

“Instead of being grateful for our lives, we are constantly comparing it with others on social media. No wonder why every other person is unhappy”

I read this somewhere and it makes perfect sense: Social media has seeped into our lives in such a way that it is almost impossible to consciously not be a part of it. Although it comes in handy as it keeps you connected with your loved ones and keeps you updated on all what’s happening with them. But at the same time we should be aware when social media becomes toxic for us.

The first point to establish is that everyone is uploading the best parts of their lives online. Their best food, clothes, cars, houses, friends and work moments. No one is sharing their failures or issues or setbacks. So if someone is going through a tough phase in life and logs on, he will get further depressed after seeing that everyone else is having a ball.

Here’s the truth: although it may seem like everyone is having a ball all the time, that is not and that cannot be true! Everyone has their own demons to face, their own problems to deal with and their own setbacks to face. Yes, even the ones you feel have no problems.

My advice to you is that if you feel like social media has turned toxic for you and is taking a toll on your emotional well being, be mindful of its use and start noticing the effects it is having on your mental health.

I know it’s not easy. To not know where X is having dinner, where Y is partying, where Z is off on vacation. But answer me this, what difference does XYZ’s whereabouts make on your life? Then there is the fear of missing out. But again the stuff that you’re missing out, was it worth knowing in the first place?

I remember when social media did infact get really toxic for me, getting off Facebook and Instagram was one the toughest things I have ever done in my life! I knew I could never deactivate or delete my account, so here is what I did: I uninstalled both apps from my phone. A modern solution for a modern problem 😉

Trust me my mental health has improved tenfold just by doing this. I spend the time saved from pointless browsing on social media to reading a book and watching ted talks. Not only am I not wasting time anymore, I am utilizing it in a more productive way.

If despite of whatever I shared you still want social media to be the bad influence in your life, at least unfollow celebrities, makeup artists and so called marketing gurus. Rather follow people who would inspire you, people who talk about stuff that matters, people who convey useful information and ideas.

Conclusion to Is Social Media Toxic for You?
I will end my post on a simple note. You become what you feed your mind. By pointlessly browsing online, you are feeding your mind with unrealistic lifestyles, filtered lives and fake scenarios. And by spending your time elsewhere, you are consciously feeding your mind with information, knowledge and good habits. So what do you want to become? Choose accordingly ????

I have written another article where I talk about how to use your time efficiently, specially in the post-corona world, do give it a read: https://reasonstolivefor.com/work-from-home/

While I was researching on this topic, I came across another article that presents some very logical points to the same topic: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/328749

This article has also been published as a guest post on Pointless Overthinking: https://pointlessoverthinking.com/2020/05/26/is-social-media-toxic-being-mindful/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PointlessOverthinking

Twitter: @PointlessOverT

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/reasonstolivefor/

Is Social Media Toxic for you? How do you plan on being mindful about it? Do let me know in comments below.

11 Comments

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • I want to say, yes, it is toxic. ?‍♀️ There is no such thing as moderation, which includes tuning out/unsubscribing to what you don’t want to see. I have tried it all and my mental health is still shit, and it is worse I use social media. My advice is to treat social media like a drug addiction. A person doesn’t need social media to survive, and if anything, it is a quick dopamine hit of likes and hearts. ?❤

    To an extent, even YouTube has this effect on my mental health which is why I only use it for educational purposes and ambiance music. You really are what you feed your mind, which is excellent advice! ?

  • I find myself on social media way too much more so now than ever before. simply because I have nothing else to do. The only times I’m away from my phone is when I cook it clean the apartment and that isn’t healthy, i know. But I don’t know how else to spend less time on my phone. These tips are useful. ☺️

  • You are spot on: “You become what you feed your mind.” This is true on SO many levels. We often think we can entertain ourselves with questionable material without it having any effect on our minds, but the effect eventually takes its toll. We begin to envy others. We find ourselves venting out the negativity we inhale through other mediums. We find ourselves constantly having to scrape our minds out of the gutter. The list goes on.

    While social media is obviously not an inherently evil thing, like anything, it can begin to rule our conscious lives without us realizing it right away. I didn’t get on social media until into my adult life, so in that regard I was spared from many of its identity-shaping influences. Today, I mostly use it for professional purposes, which also limits the amount and type of content I put on it.

  • Narrowing down to only the inspiring people on my blog reader, and less and less Facebook all the time. Twitter – hardly at all – what dumpster fire! Whatever you feed … will grow. Thank you for always inspiring people to be better.

  • I just don’t do FB (FarceBlock) or Insanegram or Twit… I only put up blogs and mostly that for the intrinsic value of writing and sharing. I like the blog world because it’s not so demanding.