Why Taking A Break From Social Media Can Do Wonders For Your Mental Health

Can people actually "take a break" from social media? Is it possible with most people spending at least a few hours day on social media? Will this actually improve my mental health?

Over the past two decades, the internet and social media has taken the world by storm. Almost everyone these days has an account in the major social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, etc. When you want to find a person, you just have to search his/her name in the search bar and you will find that person(unless that person's name is very common like John Smith).

There is a main downside to social media, and this is the cause of why mental health issues are rising to an all time high in recent years. This phenomenon is called "FOMO" or "Fear Of Missing Out." It basically means that you feel like you're missing out on life compared to your peers or other people in your life. This leads to depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues that plague the masses today.

There is a simple solution to this problem, and that is taking a break from social media. Allow yourself at least 1-2 days without browsing Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, or any other major social media platforms. Other people even do this for a week, a month, or even a year! 

Think about this for a second, the average person spends at least 2 hours on social media. On specific platforms, people spend an average of 40 minutes a day on Youtube, 35 minutes a day on Facebook, 25 minutes a day on Snapchat, and 15 minutes a day on Instagram.With those 2 hours you can do something productive or healthier than social media.

Here's a list of my own ideas I compiled that you can do on your free time to replace your time on social media.

You can:

• Work out at the gym
• Read a book
• Spend time with your family and friends
• Learn a new skill
• Do a hobby
• Learn new things
• Read the newspaper
• Spend time with your pets
• Meet new people
• Play a sport

These things above are only my idea of things you can do rather than mindlessly scroll through your Facebook or Instagram feed. In one week, you would have spent 14 hours on social media. You can do a lot with those 14 hours!

Not only will you be more productive, but you will do yourself, particularly your mental health a huge favor, when you do this. You will now see how much time you are actually wasting on these platforms. Every post, every picture, every stories, do you really need to see them?

Take a break from social media, and see how your life changes for the better. See how taking a break from Facebook, Instagram or Twitter will do wonders for your mental health. You'll be glad that you did this and realize that you can live in the world without checking your Facebook notifications or Instagram likes.

Suicide is Never the Answer to Your Problems

The recent suicides of celebrities like Avicii, Kate Spade, and Anthony Bourdain are very tragic. They made me realize something: just because you're rich, successful and famous, doesn't mean you're going to be happy. Also, mental health is a very important matter as much as physical health.

I have to share this. When I was 17, I was diagnosed with a mental illness. I thought that my life was over and I would live the rest of my life with this hardship. I decided that I would kill myself. I climbed on the 5th floor fire escape at my college building and I wanted to jump, but I was too afraid of doing it. With the help of professional psychiatrists, along with my friends and family, I was able to overcome my depression and recover from my mental illness. It's scary to think about what would have happened if I did jump and tried to kill myself.

My life has gotten a lot better, I experienced things in life I would never have expected. I achieved some of my goals and dreams, and also have new ones I am working towards on. I have a family that loves me and have awesome friends. I am truly blessed and I am sure I would still receive blessings and new things in life that I would be grateful for in the future.

If ever you're reading this and considering killing yourself, I want you to ask yourself: will it solve all my problems? I've heard of a quote that says "suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem." It's true and I believe that suicide is never the answer. I want you to do these things:

1. Get help from a professional immediately
2. If that's not possible, talk to some trusted loved ones and friends
3. Write down at least one thing in you're life that you're thankful for. If there is at least one thing, you'll realize that life is worth it.

Always remember that whatever hardships, trials or problems you're going through, it's always temporary and it will pass. Also, none of us are suffering alone, everyone suffers. Go talk to someone today, you never know if he or she might be able to help and make you realize that life is worth living.

Image source: http://lefunny.net/quote-of-the-day-quote-about-suicide/