My advice? Get off social media. now.

In my role as a counsellor, it’s not usually my place to give advice. My role is to help guide clients, through clever questioning and other techniques to their own conclusions that make sense for them and provide tools that can help them manage with the demands and pressures that life brings.

But for today I step out of that role and implore and plead with you, that as a human being talking to another human being, that getting off your screen is the BEST thing you can do for your own mental health. This is especially if you suffer from stress and/or anxiety. And… you should do it for an extended period of time.

I also understand the current irony that I am currently writing this to you on my laptop, and you are also reading this through a screen or device of some sort.

I’ve recently gotten back from a week long bush-retreat and professional training exercise, where access to phone and internet service was severely limited. So limited in fact, that taking a phone out there was completely pointless except to keep track of time.

The first 24hrs were an adjustment in not checking my phone, automatically reaching for my pockets to see what notifications I might have missed. I estimate I had the impulse to check my phone every few minutes, anywhere between 8-20 times an hour. What is so important that it interrupts my flow of attention up to 20 times an hour? Am I really this addicted to this flashing screen?

 Turns out, yes.

As the week progressed, I relished the feeling of relief not being guided or dictated to by a screen and a cacophony of other voices provided through social media platforms.

“Do this!”

“Buy this!”

“You should only eat this specific thing at this specific time in the morning or watch your weight pile on”

“Have you considered that you’re wrong about this aspect of yourself?”

Without social media, I began to hear my own thoughts again. Meals seemed tastier than usual, even though they were nothing special. I felt like I began to notice different aspects in the landscape around me, or was able to view the people in front of me with clearer sight. I could begin to trust my own thoughts, feelings and opinions without the constant doubt some influencer, podcast host or anonymous poster seeded in my mind regarding almost every aspect of my existence.

I relished the lack of pressure to post constantly, to beat the algorithm, to be or do or appear as anything other than what I am in the very moment I was absorbed in.

We may feel like we are slaves to the phone, slaves to the algorithm, slaves to the constant need to keep up-to-date and up-to-appearances. But, we do have a choice. Though I admit it takes some considerable work to engage the anti-social media stance, because of how pervasive it is. And entertaining.

Side note: I highly recommend watching The Social Dilemma for the scientific facts and evidence, as well as the compelling way this information is delivered on how social media and are phones are “training” us, for lack of a better word.

But what was more compelling to me was how I reacted with social media after it had been switched off for a week. Some content I used to engage in regularly no longer seemed interesting, or compelling, or purposeful. I’ve since unfollowed some accounts, and have become a lot more mindful around what content I engage and for how long I engage with it.

My own anxiety significantly decreased without the static and noise of social media. I noticed it immediately spike again when my phone became serviceable and the stream of notifications I had missed began pouring in. The feeling of needing to “rush” and mine all this information for golden nuggets of opportunity swelled up again and added to this feeling of pressure and stress to re-engage.

But I don’t want to re-engage in the same ways. I know and understand that social media is a huge part of our existence now, how businesses operate and communicate and for the information sharing and entertainment factors. But, we can choose how we want to engage and I think it’s time more of us refreshed our engagement.

So, my advice to you, if you are a client or a friendly stranger, is to experiment with social media. Turn it off completely for a week. A day at the least if you have the opportunity. Make a plan and try sticking to it, and see what you notice changes around you or even within you.

It might be surprising, or enlightening. At the smallest level, you might gain some additional peace, if only for a few hours. But those hours of peace are worth it.