Too much of a good thing can become a bad thing and too much of a bad thing can become an even worse thing. Scrolling social media or taking in news outlets for hours upon hours can impact your mental health and this can impact your peace of mind. One reason I believe I had such a crappy night of sleep was because I was surfing the web and social media before bed. I was in some pain late in the evening and after taking some medication, I decided to lay in bed and “relax”. Relax as in scroll and surf. I kept telling myself, it’s time to get off the phone but, I didn’t. I usually follow my routine and I am off the phone at least 30 minutes before bed and I have been thinking I need to extend this to an hour.
Did you know that scrolling social media or watching TV can cause you to:
Go to bed later
Sleep less
Sleep worse
I am proof that is what happened to me as I dreamed, tossed and turned all last night. It impacted my “peace of mind” this morning and I have struggled to ground and get my mood together. I can factor in a few more things that contributed to my crankiness this morning as you may have read in my Sunday Coffee Musings segment. Nevertheless, backing off of media before bed is a good idea.
When you are not in a good mood sometimes social media can help and when you are not in a good mood or place it can hurt. People who are struggling financially may feel worse after seeing people traveling, obtaining material things, and getting promotions. This doesn’t mean they are jealous it means they are human and while they are doing the best they can, they may feel they aren’t doing enough or will never be able to achieve those goals. This goes for relationships, friendships, and just life in general. I truly believe that we all need TIME AWAY from the media to detox.
It’s important to know how to be alone. We can connect with nature sitting on the porch or patio or at the park. It’s also important to know how to make meaningful connections with the people in your space without staring at your 55-inch TV screen or 5-inch phone. There is a peace that can come from being understood and understanding someone else. There is a peace that can come from hearing someone and being heard. Just like the peace or calmness that comes when you recenter and ground yourself with nature or peace and quietness.
I plan to do more social media shutdowns and spend less time “popping in social media” as I am waiting in line, in an office, or bored. I left my phone at home by accident last Sunday as I went to church. I doodled on my program but, it wasn’t a big deal to me. I get on my phone at the beginning of service, turn it on silence for the duration and usually only post if the speaker says something significant that “just can’t wait until later” (being sarcastic here because it can wait).
Peace preservation through cutting social media time and doing fasts or shutdowns will show you just how addicted you are to media outlets. If you miss a week, your world will not fall apart and neither will your blog, vlog, or podcast. However, the real concern is not losing followers or not getting likes. I have found as you come back on, your account and followers are resilient. You get back in the loop. Things resume. So, pause for peace of mind.
~Nikki
Nikki's Confetti Life 
If you are not writing or doing social media for yourself, then you are doing it wrong. I keep my blog going but rarely post. I will again someday, but frankly, I have not felt the need lately. When I do I will because that blog is for me, it is great if others want to read, but it is either for me or nothing at all.