The Beauty of Unplugging

Last week I posted about five things I am trying to do in the evenings and I touched a little bit on unplugging at 9pm in the evenings. I have been trying this out for a little while now and when I think about how beneficial it has been for me I decided it was good enough to share on the blog!

Defining what it means to unplug may be different for different people. To me, unplugging not only means powering down my electronics it means giving myself a break from social media. I don’t know about you but I have caught myself scrolling for hours and checking my Facebook and Instagram feeds multiple times a day…too many times if I’m honest. I feel like the more time I spend scrolling through my social media feeds the harder it is to keep myself from comparing myself to others. I read an article on the Forbes website that discusses the higher rates of depression-like symptoms in adults who used social media more frequently during the day. It’s so true too! Think about it, most people post about the really awesome things that are happening in their life so you spend all your time scrolling and you start to get a distorted reality leading your to believe that everyone else is leading a more exciting and happier life than you. The crazy thing is that we seem to forget that these are just highlights and snippets of a bigger picture. Nobody has a perfect life and most people choose not to share the crappy things that are happening in their life. I for one am not into airing my dirty laundry on social media and I strive to keep my posts positive and very honest at the same time but my life is far from perfect. But, more about that in another post…

Unplugging gives me motivation to do things that I enjoy that don’t involve looking at a screen like reading a great book, working in personal development, or spending time talking with my friends and family and catching up. Taking a break from my social media feeds and my electronics has really helped keep me grounded in reality and allows me to recognize the good things I have going in my life. I find that I am more appreciative of where I am at in my life and more thankful for the wonderful people I spend my time with.