Social-Media Distancing

“Social distancing can save your life”, that’s what we’ve been hearing for a while now, but have you ever heard of social-media distancing?

Have you ever scrolled down on Instagram or Facebook and felt down for no reason at all? I often feel this way, the last time I felt like that was when the BLM movement began. Everywhere I go, I see people dying and for what? For their unbelievably beautiful color…

I couldn’t go on like that, yes, I signed petitions and did whatever I could as I was deeply moved, but that was starting to affect my mental health. People being racist and harsh to each other is never acceptable. I believe that the only thing God wants is for us to live peacefully with each other, even with those who don’t believe in him.

I tend to lock my phone when I’m so done with social media, so I did and took a break for a day. It was enough to regain my strength and write a new blog post. Sometimes it takes a week if I feel extremely bad. The sure thing is that I come back feeling positive again.

Some people feel so attached to their phones that they can’t get away from it for a minute. In today’s world, we can not give up our phones, that’s for sure. But what if all you read about is people killing and judging each other? This might affect your mental health without you knowing. That’s why you should practice social-media distancing more.

When exactly should you practice that? In my opinion, if your timeline is only full of cute animal videos, then you don’t have to keep reading, you’re doing okay. But if it is full of people saying their opinions that are actually hurting other people, then you should definitely take a break. If you feel like you want to judge/hate on someone just because they have different opinions, take a break.

Not so long ago, a boy on twitter got attention although he didn’t really have content for his videos, just him saying good morning and that’s it. Some people appreciated his energy, but most people quoted his tweets and made fun of him. I don’t really understand why would someone make fun of another person? I mean, he didn’t hurt you. It’s not like he killed someone to deserve the hate. If you don’t like seeing him on your timeline, you can just mute him. Bad attention is still attention, you know. And your words have the power to hurt people, so choose them carefully.

I think we’ve been sitting in front of these screens for so long that we forgot that those we’re judging are also humans. You wouldn’t say all of these mean words if that person was in front of you. Social media gave people the right to say their opinions about everything and everyone. You’re free to say whatever you want unless you hurt others.

If you know that social media has a bad impact on you, but still you don’t want to take any move, then take this as a sign that you should quit for a while. Whether it’s for 24 hours or a week, it doesn’t matter, just enjoy your movies and series. Go back to reading. Sing. Do whatever you like to do and focus on your healing. If you don’t have any hobbies, then take this break as an opportunity to discover yourself. I’m sure once you try it and learn to enjoy your time on your own, you’ll never know how to stop!