You love connecting with people on social media, but sometimes you’ve got to stop and think about how it’s affecting you. If you’re spending hours on social media every day, it could be ruining your life and causing you tons of anxiety. If you behave like you can’t function without your phone, it’s time to stop equating social media with oxygen you need to survive. Here are 11 ways you’re letting social media rule your life and why you need to quit your addiction.
1. You’re Wasting Your Time.
Do you ever mindlessly scroll through social media feeds for hours, but you can’t remember what you’ve seen afterward? You could be wasting so many hours on the likes of Instagram, TikTok, and XÂ but getting nothing of value in return. You might as well be doing something else that’s more productive instead of burning through your energy and attention.
2. Your Mood Depends On “Likes.”
If you’re relying on people’s “likes” and comments on your social media posts to make you feel good, you’re in risky territory. When you receive no likes or negative comments, this will throw you for a loop and can cause you to experience a bad mood or low self-confidence. Don’t let social media dictate your self-worth.
3. You’re Trapped In A Comparison Game.
Spending tons of time on social media can cause you to compare yourself to other people. You might feel like you don’t measure up to the same perfect life or relationship your friends are flaunting. Or, maybe you wish you could look as attractive as the people you see online. It has to stop. What you’re seeing is messing with your perception of reality and yourself.
4. You find any excuse to post on social media.
You might be deciding to go to parties or events just so that you’ll be able to post about them on social media and get some attention, but you shouldn’t let social media pressure you to live your life in a certain way. If you think your posts on social media matter more than what you do in your real life, you’re on the wrong path.
5. You’re distracted from the world around you.
Do you scroll through social media while grabbing your morning coffee, walking to work, or chatting with people around you? It’s not only potentially dangerous — what if you walked into traffic or something? — but you could be missing out on important information around you while making people in your life feel like you’re not tuned into the conversation.
6. You Can’t Let Comments Hang.
©iStock/BraunS
When someone privately messages you on Meta or comments on your Instagram post, do you feel that you have to respond right away? If you’re dealing with anxiety whenever you hear a social media notification on your phone, this can be causing you unnecessary stress because you’re clearly letting social media rule your life. You might even hear phantom notification sounds because you’re always on high alert for them.
7. You Lose Sleep.
You need quality sleep every night to function at your peak. You can’t get that if you’re always scrolling through social media in bed. Plus, exposing yourself to so much blue light is disrupting your circadian rhythm. Seriously, leave your phone in the other room so you don’t get tempted to check it in the middle of the night. The world won’t end, I promise.
8. You Turn Everything Into A Selfie Opportunity.
You can’t properly enjoy real-life experiences if you’re always looking for an opportunity to take a selfie. It causes your thoughts to be focused on your phone instead of what’s happening in the moment. Not everything is a moment to be captured for your Insta feed, and you’re not really present if you’re more preoccupied with how things will look on social media.
9. You Can’t Be Productive.
Maybe you can’t seem to get through all the work on your desk or you’re pushing aside some tasks because you’d rather be scrolling on social media. Yikes. This can make you miss out on the chance to progress in your career, plus it’s easier to make mistakes if you’re multitasking been work and social media so much.
10. You Don’t Care About Privacy.
If you ignore privacy concerns when posting on social media, it could be dangerous. Sharing every detail about your life, like your location, your family, and your friends, you could be letting criminals find lots of information about you. It’s also worth checking social media privacy settings every now and then so you know exactly what you’re giving permissions to — don’t just blindly accept them.
11. You Get Mad If You Can’t Access Social Media.
If anything gets in the way of you being able to check your social media notifications, you lose your cool. So, if your partner takes you hiking in an area where there’s no cell phone signal, you’ll fight with them. Or, if your phone smashes, you’ll rush to purchase a new one immediately — you can’t even go a few hours without it. You’re placing social media above everything, but what is it really giving you in return?
Enjoy what you’ve read? Give us a like and follow Bolde on MSN for more!
