This Friday (March 3rd) is National Day of Unplugging. Although it is an America based project, we felt inspired by the premise behind it and wanted to compile a few reminders why we should actively make a point of unplugging and taking a break from social media from time to time.
If you find it difficult to wrench your smartphone from your hand, get cold sweats at the thought of logging out of Facebook or can’t get through a whole day without scrolling through your Instagram feed at least ten times, then maybe it’s time to think about unplugging?
If you need a bit of convincing then read on for a few reasons that may do just that.
1. To Connect and Be Present with Real Human Beings
As much as you may love checking in and seeing what party your fav celeb was at last night, is lunch with your significant other really the time to be doing it?
Everyone’s familiar with the idea of social media keeping us connected but overuse can tend to have the reserve affect, stifling conversation and the general enjoyment, interest and connection we get when we’re with other people.
So next time you’re out for lunch or taking a walk with company try taking a social media break and keeping that time focused on being social with real humans. You’re newsfeed aren’t going anywhere and you might even be surprised by how little you miss them in the company of real people.
2. To Clear Your Head
When every idle moment is filled with scrolling through the interminable influx of information on a limitless array of topics, the constant processing of live updates can be overwhelming and leave your head spinning.
When you’re next on a bus journey, sitting in the waiting room of your next appointment or having a quiet breakfast before your day starts, block out the noise of the online world and choose to spend the moment with yourself. You’re likely to feel much more focused and refreshed rather than mentally drained from reading the latest update of negative news.
3. To Experience Life More Fully
We don’t have a real gauge of what exactly we’re missing when we spent so many moments glued to our phone or laptop.
Why not try investing all those moments spent with our devices on more valuable activities? Think of all the things you want to do but keep dismissing as having no time for. Yoga? Trying out a new sport? Working through that pile of books you haven’t touched since they were bought?
4. To Think
Social media is the ultimate distraction and procrastination tool. We don’t have to think too much while we’re traversing the social media landscape and sometimes this can be a negative thing. The distraction of online news can cause us to forget important things we need done and just giving ourselves the mental space to think and organise ourselves can be extremely helpful to our wellbeing and keeping our stress levels low.