6 signs social media might be toxic to your life
Iggy Azalea announced this week that she’s taking a break from social media. Now, given Iggy’s complicated relationship with social media and her history of controversy when it comes to all things online, some of you might be happy to hear it and some of you might be completely bummed. Whichever side of the polarized Iggy issue you fall on, we need to talk about why she’s bowing out of social conversation.
The reason: She’s tired of all the hate. Iggy took to Twitter to sum up her reasons for going on social hiatus:
We have to give Iggy credit for knowing when enough was enough and putting her mental and emotional well-being first. Would you also benefit from a breakup with social media? Here are six signs your tweeting/Facebooking/Instagramming/Snapchatting/etc. might just toxic to your life.
Notification flags make you anxious.
Does your heart race and your stomach drop every time you see a little red blip alerting you of an unread message? Interactions from friends shouldn’t make you feel anxious. If the red flags on your phone are causing emotional red flags, maybe it’s time to take a break.
You worry about every single thing you post. . .obsessively.
Tweeting, Instagramming, updating your Facebook status — these should be fun things you share, the things you love and hilarious and awesome thoughts that you have with you friends and followers. If you find yourself putting more effort into crafting the perfect tweet or taking hundreds of pics to find one worthy of Instagram, you might need to break up with social media, at least for a little while, until you can learn to focus on the fun again.
You’ve started to think your life sucks because everyone else’s seems so great.
It’s normal to exaggerate the good and hide the bad on social media. You just have to keep in mind that everyone else is doing the same thing. If you catch yourself constantly comparing your life to everyone else’s and you’re starting to feel like your life isn’t as great as you used to think, that’s pretty toxic.
You keep exact tabs on how many people are following you — and go into full-on detective mode when you lose a follower.
Losing a follower does not equal losing any of your personal worth, but it can be easy to feel like it does sometimes, especially if you’ve just hit a milestone of followers or don’t have ton to begin with. If you’re letting the click of a button from a stranger (or even a friend or acquaintance) ruin your week, day or even minute, you could use a break from all things social media.
You’re being bullied on social media.
This is just unacceptable. If it’s happening to you, step away and tell someone you trust. You don’t need to go through cyberbullying at all, and you certainly don’t need to go through it alone.
You’ve ever cried because of social media.
Tears of joy notwithstanding, there are zero reasons you should be crying over social media. If your negative emotional response to social media brings you to physical tears, delete the apps, close the computer and detox immediately.
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