How Quitting Facebook Can Improve your Mental Health

There are tons of reason why people loved social media. It seems like almost everyday people flock to social media just to check other people's updates or to update their statuses. These days it appears to be a normal thing, a need, that if you happen to know someone who does not have a Facebook account, they are perceived backward.

While social media have been very good for the most part, it appears to have slight quirk somewhere. This is the reason that I tried not to get involved with Facebook for two weeks straight. This means I did not open it for straight two weeks, not even a peek.

Do note though that I did not stop getting into Facebook after two weeks. For me, it was just to know the difference if I did not have to open and scroll endlessly through other people's lives. After 14 days, I think I liked what happened.

The first positive thing that I loved about getting off from Facebook is having more time for myself. Years back, when I started with Facebook, laptop or desktop was the only way to access it. No apps yet to offer such convenience. This is an advantage during those times. Still, during those days, social media, in general, has already started their grip over people's lives.

It was clear that if ever you opened your account you're sure to scroll down and off you go. It is generally just wasting time while scrolling to see if there are pictures, updates or shares from other users.

It was the time when you need to take a picture with a real camera, not a smartphone, and upload the shots through your computer. That was one tasking thing to do, unlike today. But the advantage of that approach is its inconvenience. That’s the reason why people have lesser updates during those times.

As years rolled by, technology made things better, easier and faster. This permeated more updates thus more things for people to share and see. This made a huge impact on the lives of many individuals. More updates mean you can scroll down for hours without end. This is a perfect way to throw away time.

This phenomenon has wasted my time almost every day for years without me realizing what was happening. If you think about it, checking social media has already been ingrained with younger generations that you often see them glued to their phones as though they’re doing something very important. This can easily turn hours as though it’s just minutes.

When I unplugged myself from social media I was able to maximize the use of my free time doing more important things. Before that my free time means peeping through my social media account. I thought that I was spending it wisely. That it was for me to enjoy it. But that thought was just an excuse.

That's when I started to think about the time I spent scrolling on social media. That’s when I realized I could easily waste 2 hours over it each day. It was a wakeup call for me. After two weeks off the hook, I was able to do more with my time. Most of it is for me. Having time for exercise and more time for rest is a huge improvement.

Anxiety is also a problem when you stick to social media for a long time. The very first sign that shows is you’ll be anxious if you haven't checked your account for more than an hour. If you're peeking through your smartphone every break or whenever there's an opportunity, then you are getting addicted to the habit.

This was the primary reason I tried to wean myself from Facebook. Checking social media account consumes your time. It takes away that precious minutes. These minutes snowballs into hours throughout the day. This can affect your sleeping pattern as you'll likely to spend time scrolling than taking a rest. Also, if you spend more time looking at your smartphone after you turned off the lights, it rewires your brain to stop sleeping.

This was proven during my two-week period away from social media. After two days without it, I was able to sleep faster. This experience was able to help me control my anxiety.

Experiencing anxiety is no joke as it can trigger panic attacks fast and you cannot fully prepare for it. And this is especially rampant if you lack sleep. Sleepiness affects how your brain perceives things around you. Even a slight change in your situation can cause your mind to go berserk in an instant.

Without social media, I was also able to realize the importance of helping myself. The number one aspect of it is getting fit. This stuff is easier to deal with if you're younger. But aging can get into you pretty fast. It could be that 5 years ago you can easily climb two stories taking the stairs but now, you might be panting doing it.

As you age your body is sure to get weaker. This necessitates a proper maintenance regimen to keep it strong. Exercise and proper diet is the key here. Before, I can easily gulp down a bottle of soda. After spending more time to my health I realize I needed to cut it down to keep the aches away.

Also, those extra time I freed, I was able to spend it with proper exercise. Keeping a 40-minute exercise for my self was way better than scrolling my time way through my smartphone which was never a good investment. Exercising helped clear my mind of unnecessary thoughts.

With just a short stint of 2 weeks, I just had an incredible journey with myself and not being anxious about the updates anymore. But, after two 14 days, I resumed using social media. But I did have much control over myself, spending a shorter time on it. I even have gotten away with some days without checking it. And of course, I continued with my newly found habits like exercising.

The biggest reward that I probably gained from that experience is the realization that I am in control of my life. That what is decide to do with my time is up to me and social media is just a platform for sharing life moments. It's not a venue for you to live your life.