The Countdown to 2023: The Social Media Madness

How much time per day do we spend on our phones, more specifically on social media? I for one, am on my phone the moment I get up. I am constantly on social media: Instagram, TikTok, Facebook. I noticed that I get sucked into other peoples lives very easily. I start comparing myself to others, I feel bad for others, I get mad at others. I spend a lot of my time on TikTok, which I am sure most people do (or Reels, Shorts). These videos are just snippets of somoene's life. You scroll and you see someone having a wonderful time, scroll again - someone is dying, scroll again - someone is decorating their house, scroll again - someone is putting makeup on, scroll again - someone's dog is dying, scroll again - someone is ranting about something that happened to them. It is DRAINING for our minds. I speak for myself but I am sure others feel the same way. I spend hrs just scrolling and immersing myself into all sorts of situations. My brain feels like it is on overload afterwards. So what do we do? This is the world we live in. With social media and the internet, everything is only a click or a scroll away. It's amazing but at the same time damaging. It can cause so much anxiety. Every single time I open Facebook, someone has passed away or something devastating has happened in the world. It makes me feel like I have to constantly watch my back. It's all the information that we receive in just a split second when we open up our social media accounts. This is why it's good to take breaks from social media or to limit our time online. We have to learn to breakaway and do other things. It's amazing to be able to always be in the know, but it is also amazing to live in the present and not forget to actually live our lives. One thing I always am reminded of every single day is that life is short. You have to make sure that you spend it in a way that fills your heart with joy and happiness. Remember, it's always good to have idols or look up to someone but it's not good to compare yourself to them. Your life is your life, with its ups and downs, just like everyone else. Most people don't show the downs and they sure as hell don't share them with the internet. Going into the New Year, let's learn how to appreciate what we have, spend less time on social media, live in the present, work on our mental health and do more of the things that make us happy. What are your thoughts on social media and the effect it has on our lives?