Why you need to practice social media cleansing

Art by @acidpaint via Instagram

Social media has huge benefits. Especially when we think about the international Corona Virus quarantine of 2020. We have been able to connect in isolation, with our family and friends around the world. Some beautiful relationships are formed and maintained through social media. And despite all of the good stuff, there is another side of that coin. It is much like the dark side of the moon. The repercussions of social media...

Everyone needs to watch The Social Dilemma on Netflix. And if you have seen it, then you understand exactly what this post is about. Social media addiction. This means that relationships in real life are being affected. What you're seeing is everyone's most extreme, their best moments... IT IS NOT REAL! Real life connections are being snuffed out through the energy we spend online. I deleted my Facebook because I got catfished and hacked. It was scary. I got bullied on TikTok because of some videos I made about decolonization. I struggle with my mental health without the added stress of social media.

I started practicing social media cleansing, where I spend a week each month without any social media. And It's always my most productive part of each month. I just feel better about myself and my life, I'm in tune, I'm more organized and making better decisions. But why? How has something so simple changed my life?

The dopamine peaks you receive from using social media, make the physical world boring. Social media gives you insomnia, this puts your sleep out of whack. Triggering anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses. It's making you jealous, insecure and you keep comparing yourself to everyone else, but WHY? Stop letting the algorithm tell you how to feel, the internet is forcing you to behave and internalize unnatural ways thinking. This is not your value. This is not reality.

Bullying and abuse in online spaces is rampant because it is so hard to control. Especially when we bring millions of people into the same space and give them almost no accountability. Control the amount of time you are spending online. Take hold of the access people have in your life. Everyone is not entitled to you and your business. We have normalized social media addiction. And its gross, unhealthy. YUCK. If you are able to completely unplug from the matrix then do so. Even if its a weaning process and you start cutting back. Your ability to concentrate and live in the moment, will flourish.

Remember that social media addiction is real, and the people around you deserve all of you whole heartedly, not just part of you. Live in the present. Smell the fresh air, go for a walk, write a song, paint, play with your kids!!! Stop being stressed about what strangers (ugh even people you know) are doing. Who cares about other peoples money, food, holidays, weight loss really? Be honest with yourself and consider how social media is shaping your internal narrative. Think of that obsession as a cancerous disease. A dead weight that needs to be cut out. Stop obsessing with celebrities and politics. Stop checking your notifications.... If its not inspiring you to be a better person. Get rid of it!.