Disconnect to Reconnect?
First, I totally recognize the irony of discussing “disconnecting” over social media. I’ve given this subject a lot of thought (which is why the post was a bit delayed from my usual posting schedule). I can relate to the findings from some of the research I’ll be sharing later and will be sharing some of my personal experiences.
This topic is a part of holistic approach to overall health and while not exercise/food related, improving your own mental health as well as social connections and community are part of ancestral living and reclaiming your health.
As you go about your day – running errands or grocery shopping or even going out to dinner…take a moment to notice how many people (not just teens and younger adults) are frequently using their cell phones – while sitting with others in restaurants and bars, while waiting in line in stores and even while waiting for red lights when driving. More frequently these days, we fill in our “idle” time with additional stimulus such as checking e-mails, Facebook posts, Tweets, or Instagram pictures posts (or other social media apps/sites).
If you’re old enough to remember…try to think back to times before the widespread use of cell phones and more specifically social media and smartphone usage. What did we do when in lines or at bars/restaurants waiting?...maybe we actually talked to one another and had true social interactions (vs. virtual ones).
What is it that we hope to get from social media???
Research shows that the “main uses and gratifications of Facebook are relationship maintenance, passing time, entertainment, and companionship.” (Ref 3) It seems that we’re leaning on social media to provide those things that we traditionally experienced via in-person interactions with others.
So how is this strategy working out for us?
While social media usage is a relatively new behavior to study, there have been some interesting findings:
In one study, “social media use was significantly associated with increased depression” (Ref 1)
While another study found that “young adults with high SMU [social media use] seem to feel more socially isolated than their counterparts with lower SMU.” (Ref 2)
Additionally, researchers have seen that “individuals with low psychosocial wellbeing, such as loneliness, anxiety or depression, are motivated to use Facebook to find social support or to pass time. The lift in mood that this provides (also known as mood alteration) leads to deficient self-regulation, possibly due to negative reinforcement. In severe cases, this can eventually lead to negative life consequences.” (Ref 3)
That doesn’t seem as effective as we thought!
From my own personal experience, when I wasn’t exactly content with my circumstances I can remember spending more time on social media, attempting to fill in the voids in my life all the while knowing that it wasn’t an effective solution. I finally decided to make some drastic changes in my life (relocating to another state where I knew practically no one) – but I now can look back and recognize what I was doing with social media. And now that I’ve made changes in my life…I find myself less on social media posting about things and more spending time doing things that are more in line with my true self and I find myself happier.
Back to the title of this blog post…if you truly want to reconnect with your friends, family and most importantly your SELF…you need to disconnect from social media, put down your phone and be present.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Phone-free dinners with kids, family, and friends
“Unplugged” weekends
“Phone bowls/boxes” when friends stop by or you host a party/event at your house to drop off phones while visiting
Digital detox (evenings, weekends or vacations) – there will be another post on this as a digital detox event that I attend in December approaches
So disconnect….and reconnect to your health!
Leave a comment or shoot me a message and let me know what you think about this topic.
Let’s figure out how we can get you started on reclaiming your health!
References:
1 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4853817/
2 - http://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(17)30016-8/fulltext