In my last post, I touched (very, very briefly) on how I enjoy the occasional evening away from all things ~internet. When I got the cross-stitch kit mentioned in that post, it filled a couple of my evenings and, while I wasn't totally away from the internet (I had to catch up on Riverdale and PLL, ok) it did take me away from all things social media.
I was sat in bed watching Netflix, time which I would normally spend endlessly scrolling, and didn't look at my phone or my iPad once. I wasn't scrolling through twitter, liking endless Instagram photos or watching any snapchat stories. I didn't consciously choose to avoid these things, but I'm happy it happened. This might not seem like anything to a lot of people, it might come across as me being totally dramatic (which, wouldn't be a surprise as I can be *quite* the drama queen) but it just made me relax more than any other 'me-time' usually does. And that's because it wasn't really a decision to avoid social media, but something that just happened. Studies show that most people check social media 20-30 times a day, and that's bloody bonkers. It can be such a black hole to get out of!
We've all been there, scrolling though some girls Instagram feed after they popped up on the explore page (they always pop up on the explore page!), and it's all gorgeous tanned skin, perfectly tousled hair, matcha teas and luxurious holidays. Chloe from thelittleplum.co.uk (the biggest babe and one of my favourite bloggers who you should definitely check it if you don't know her already) did a fabulous post on how a luxury holiday doesn't equate to success. And it doesn't! But it still makes you feel a bit shitty when you're sat in an overheated office with no air-con and no chance of catching a tan, scrolling through photos of seemingly everyone bar you enjoying a cocktail by the pool in a bikini.
I think for anyone, it can be hard to get away from social media sometimes. But more so when you have a blog and want to put your work out there, because social media is the key, isn't it? Your audience isn't going to grow without it. And blogging isn't about the numbers, but knowing that there are people willing and wanting to read what you have to say, is the best feeling. So it can often be a catch 22, y'know!
After all the talk of Mental Health Awareness Week earlier this month, I toyed with the idea of sharing my mental health story, but I wasn't ready for that. So instead this post came to me and it kind of touches on mental health, doesn't it? Because I know for me, getting wrapped up in what everyone else is doing on social media, my anxiety increases tenfold. It's stupid, because I know the photos on instagram are only the highlights and don't show a true representation of a persons life. I know this because if I scroll through my own twitter and instagram, it doesn't always reflect what I'm going through. I've touched on this previously in my Instagram post last year.
Balance is key.
Make sure your social feeds are a happy place; unfollow the accounts that don't make you happy, keep your feeds full of positivity and inspiration. Cases of depression, anxiety and others have increased drastically over the past decade and earlier this week it was reported Instagram is the worst social media for aggravating these. But this can be managed by choosing who to follow and what you see wisely!
Loves. Emma.
