5 Signs You Desperately Need a Break From Social Media

1. Anxiety

Anxiety is a tricky beast because, at first, the thoughts appear to be lucid, logical, and your own. One thought leads to the next, and before you know it, your chest begins to feel tight, and it feels difficult to catch your breath. Our own doing causes some anxiety, but more often than not, anxiety is born and bred by the Enemy to use against humans. Social media can invoke anxiety from theories of things going on in the world to misunderstandings with friends socially to the sheer idea of something that is not even there. If you find after you scroll social media that you are experiencing minor or major anxiety, it may be a sign that you need a time out, and you need to be refreshed with a full drink of peace.

2. Irritability 

It is easily spotted in a child when they have spent too much time on a screen, but irritability can also present itself in adults. The human brain was not designed to spend the great majority of its time staring at a glass screen; if it were, we would have had screens since the dawn of time. Feeling a tad cross, feeling easily provoked, or feeling disgruntled at the outside world are telltale signs that the off button on your phone should be used. Children often present these feelings in the way of tantrums or outbursts, and although adults are not crying or screaming on the floor, there are subtle ways that these upset feelings can be projected outwardly. These time-outs and breaks are not a punishment for children, nor for you as an adult. It is instead a breath of time spent away from the virtual world and embraced in real life, the tangible, and the present. This reset can help your perspectives shift to the larger world outside of what we see on a six-inch screen.

3. Comparison

Another key factor that social media funnels to us is that we often find ourselves in a place of comparison between ourselves and others. Social media rarely shows the behind-closed-doors emotions of life, just the highlights. This is usually because we don’t want to show the world pictures or videos of us crying ourselves to sleep or an aching heart. For those that do, it feels awkward and strange, so there is a reluctance to do so again. Because of these social feelings, only highlights, vacations, and happy shiny pictures exist online, and comparison ensues. Comparison is a thief of joy, and the Enemy will use it to convince you that everyone else has a better life than you do. This is where a respite from social media can help because you will find having real, raw, and authentic conversations with others outside of apps and see that everyone experiences struggles, everyone experiences joy-filled days, and everyone experiences real life outside of what can be captured with a phone. A social media break can also allow you to ask God to reveal truth to you and for you to gain a healthier understanding of life on this side of Heaven.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/fizkes

4. Depression

Depression is another crucial sign that taking time away from social media could be beneficial. Especially in a time in the world when wars and rumors of wars are constant when heart-breaking news stories flood our feeds, and when the world is in such a dark place, even the strongest of optimists will find themselves feeling dampened. Depression can sweet over like a tidal wave and keep you trapped underwater for a long time, and that can be hard to overcome and untether yourself from. If you are feeling that being flooded by these reports is resulting in a poor effect on your mental health, it may be wise to bow out from it all for a period. This does not mean that you are choosing to live in a delusion away from information, but it is giving yourself the grace that you do not need to always bear such a heavy load. Your mental health needs to be as high of a priority as your physical health, and taking a break from social media might be a large aspect.

5. A Moving in Your Spirit

Many times, God will place within our spirits an idea or nudge towards something that He desires us to do in order that we may experience Him in a new way. God may have placed upon your spirit to fast from social media for a time so that your focus may be upon Him. If you are feeling inclined in this way, pray about it. Ask the Lord to make it clear to your heart and mind with peace or confirmation that you are not to be on social media for a time, and then come before Him fully in expectation that the time spent with Him rather than scrolling an app will be well spent, and that you will come into a greater communion and understanding of the one who loves you most. It may feel unnatural initially because you have become so accustomed to abiding elsewhere, but in time, you will find that the greatest satisfaction, joy, and peace come from abiding in His presence.

How to Take a Break

At first, you will likely feel uncomfortable when you shut down the apps you are almost robotically attuned to opening. You may feel the twinge of dissonance that you are no longer feeding your brain with constant entertainment, videos, and content that it has also come to expect. These feelings are natural, but remember there was a time before you had social media, and you functioned quite well. If nothing else, take it as an experiment that by giving your mind time to reset and renew, you will take with you something refreshing that you’ve been craving for a long time but could only access by putting down social media. Social media is not the enemy, but as with anything in this world, the Enemy can manipulate and use facets of life for his own agenda, but he does not have to win. Invite God into the process of taking a break and see what He might have for you to gain during this time and what He might have for you to experience.