While social media was created to make us more social with others, it has actually caused us to drift away from others.
Social media is a huge part of many people's lives in the modern day. The modern generation is growing up with social media usage, which will affect us in the future. While social media was created to make us more social with others, it has actually caused us to drift away from others. It can even cause us to feel bad about ourselves.
When we normally think of a fast, we think of a fast from food or water; however, a social media fast can be as helpful as a fast from food or water. A social media fast means you abstain from all the apps and websites for a period of time, such as a week, a month, a few months, or even a year. For most of us, just the thought of staying off social media for a week sounds like too much—much less a year. This shows us how addictive social media has become in our daily lives.
Here are five reasons for a social media fast:
1. Better Mental Health
The first reason for a social media fast is to benefit your mental health. From my own experience with social media, I know it doesn't do the best for my mental health. I notice my depression gets worse after spending prolonged time scrolling through social media. We see our friends and family's highlight reels, and it makes us feel bad about our own lives. By fasting from social media, we can take more steps to be grateful for our lives and focus on our mental health. Refraining from social media can help depression significantly.
Not everything on social media is helpful to our mental health. Often, we think just because an account says it's a mental health account, it is okay to follow or flip through the posts. Sadly, not all mental health accounts are truly helpful. I have seen many mental health accounts actually cause worse damage to an individual who is struggling with anxiety, depression, or an eating disorder. Choose to take a break from social media and see if it helps your mental health improve rather than simply reading self-help "tips” from mental health accounts on social media.
2. More Time with God
A second reason for a social media fast is to spend more time with God. Think about how much time you spend on social media each day. Personally, I know I spend way too much time on social media. Instead of using our time scrolling through posts, we should use this time to spend with God. When we choose to take a fast from social media, we will open up much more time to spend with God, and I can guarantee you will feel much better by spending your time with God instead of scrolling on social media.
God wants us to come to Him and talk with Him in prayer. We go on social media because we think it will help us feel less alone, yet how many times have we been on social media and felt even more alone? Choose to replace your time on social media with spending time with God in prayer and His Word, eliminating loneliness.
3. Better Physical Health
A third reason for a social media fast is for better physical health. We often think a social media fast will only help us mentally, but it will also help us physically. When we are on social media, we normally sit down and distance ourselves from others. Instead, if we do a social media fast, we can do more things that bring us joy, such as taking a walk, dancing to our favorite album, or playing a sport. No matter what you decide to do, it will be much more fun and beneficial than scrolling through social media.
Social media keeps us within the confines of our own homes. When we choose to put our phones down, we suddenly become aware of the world around us. Choose to live in the moment rather than living in a digital world. While I'm not 100 percent against social media, I am aware of the dangers that come with social media. Choose to fast from social media and start going out and doing things you enjoy. Whether that is catching fireflies in the summer or making a snow angel in winter, take a break from social media and start living again.
4. More Time to Spend with Family and Friends
A fourth reason for a social media fast is to have more time with family and friends. Despite social media being called “social media,” it has actually caused us to become less social and more isolated from the outside world. By taking a fast from social media, you will be able to have more time to spend with your loved ones. Instead of sending constant videos to our friends, when we choose to fast from social media, we can be physically present with our friends and family.
Social media constantly distracts us from the world around us and slowly makes us more alone even though we have thousands of “friends” on social media. Choose to take a social media fast and catch up with your real friends in person. As someone who struggles with social anxiety, I know how hard this can be, yet it is vital to challenge ourselves and see our friends and family in person instead of only seeing them on the tiny screens of our phones.
5. A Fresh Start
A fifth reason for a social media fast is to give ourselves a fresh start. Many of us may be surprised at how much social media has overtaken our lives. When we choose to take a social media fast, we will be able to see how much we can live without social media and the devastating demand in the back of our minds to strive to get as many likes as possible. There were many generations before our own that were not exposed to social media, and their friendships and relationships thrived. Overall, those in past generations had a more positive view on life than what we view now. Since we are constantly comparing our rhythms and routines to the lives of our friends, influencers, and celebrities, it makes us feel bad about our lives.
Don't let social media steal happiness, joy, or your entire life. Since we (Millennials) are one of the first generations to undergo the long-lasting effects of social media, it is hard to tell how this will affect us later in life. We should think about the future and what we want to do with our lives as well as where God is guiding us. Do we want to look back at our lives and wish we hadn't spent so much time on social media to the point that we no longer lived at all, or do we want to look back at our lives and see a life dedicated to the Lord?
Social media is something many of us think we cannot live without, but I want to challenge you to take a social media fast and see what happens. It might be hard at first, but try it for a few days and see if you don't start feeling better, freer, and happier. You might even be surprised at how much social media has taken away from your life. Here is your chance to recharge and take a fresh start!
Photo Credit: ©Sara Kurfess/Unsplash
