I too am making an effort to stay away from my phone and all that, it's draining. I see the positives in it but it's too much at times.

@hopeanderson7965

6 жыл бұрын

READY TO GLARE I LOVE U💜

@sarahhawkinson

6 жыл бұрын

YES it can be so draining some days it's amazing the internet has that much power over us.

This is EXACTLY the reason why I deleted all my social media. I let go of Facebook first about 8 years ago. Then I deleted Snapchat 2 years ago. And I got rid of Instagram maybe 4 months ago now. I noticed that Instagram triggered my anxiety. I was keeping tabs on people that were no longer apart of my life and honestly heavily lurking on people’s profiles. I saw what I didn’t want to see and those feelings always found their way to me every time I got on the app. I finally had enough of feeling bad about myself and allowing those feelings to succumb me. Now I’m social media free and I feel sooooooo much better. It’s like I’m back in reality again. I enjoy the present time more and feel more connected with myself and others.

@satsuma836

6 жыл бұрын

Sydney Belvado amen! I feel exactly the same.

@samar_29

6 жыл бұрын

i feel ya, constantly checking instagram was giving me major anxiety and i feel so much better without it.

@Rocksechelon

6 жыл бұрын

HOW DO YOU DELETE SNAPCHAT ACCOUNT? I want to do that but I haven’t been able to figure it out

@ireallydcanymore

6 жыл бұрын

I don’t care that I don’t know you personally, or at all really, but I am extremely proud of you! Not only for deleting social media stuff a long time ago, but also for stepping back and recognizing what it was going to you... somewhat like self accountability in a way if that makes sense. I’m glad you did what you felt was best for you, regardless of the fact that social media is so integrated into our lives now. I haven’t deleted any of my stuff, I just rarely go on Facebook and that’s it.. What tipped me over the edge was getting an INSANE amount of followers on Instagram, actually getting paid really good money to take pics of free stuff sent to me, etc; but also trying to keep up with all of it and all the letters being sent to me( I still feel horrible I have stacks and stacks of letters I stilll haven’t written back to). I just couldn’t handle it and I just shut off all notifications off of every app. Like I said, I look at Facebook here and there and that’s it now! I’m happy that I’ve been back using this account to just watch my fav youtubers for the past couple years :) If anyone actually gave a fuck enough to read this, I love you lol. I literally NEVER comment, so thanks for taking the time

@krystalinthecity4563

6 жыл бұрын

Sydney Belvado wow this is AMAZING! I hope to delete all my social media as well!!! That’s a goal of mine!

More often than not I would say social media makes me feel lonely instead of connected. I’ll be having a bad day, thinking “I have no one”, and then go on social media and see all of the people I know living their lives, then I feel jealous/angry/sad that everyone else has lives and I don’t. It can also make me feel guilty about reaching out because I don’t want to interrupt whatever they’re posting about or ruin their good time if they appear to be having one. I know that’s dramatic and unrealistic but depressed/anxious brain is not realistic. Lol On the flip side it gives me ideas and inspiration when I’m in a rut.

I think social media has definitely helped me waste a lot of my life. Instead of doing things that could better my life or spending time with people I care about, I’m content to spend all day in bed on Twitter. I know spending all day in bed isn’t always a bad thing, but I would feel much better about myself if I spent that time reading or doing schoolwork or quite literally anything but scrolling through Instagram or watching makeup videos. I deleted Instagram a while ago because I felt it had the most negative impact out of all of my social media. Now I just use twitter to share videos like these and to keep in contact with some friends. Overall, I think social media can be great for political reasons or to talk to people who live half the world away from you, but for day-to-day use, it seems to keep people like me content with not living a life. I hope to get rid of all my social media eventually.

@sarahhawkinson

6 жыл бұрын

yessss I totally understand the feeling of "wasting" a lot of your life on social media. a lot of it is pointless and not helping us learn and grow, even though there are tons of things on it that can, sadly that's not the majority of what is on the internet. good for you for making a change!

@LetsStopThisSong

6 жыл бұрын

same here i’m addicted to twitter. what i like about it is that people don’t only show their best, they talk about depression and how much their lives suck so it’s relateable. but i feel the same way. i’m always opening the app without realizing, or meaning to. it sucks.

I think you can pull off a lot of hair colors but I have to say, red/orange is by far my favorite on you. It just looks so good! So props, you look beautiful dahling

I don’t know how I feel on this topic. While there are some bad aspects of social media and the internet in general, there are some really good aspects as well! I’ll be honest when I say that my life has genuinely been saved countless times due to the friends I have made on social media. Plus, I’m part of the LGBT+ community and I live in a very conservative town in Texas, so having social media to understand that I’m not alone or wrong in what I’m feeling is so precious! Bad things happen on social media-I was sexually abused as a child on myspace-but I still feel that, in general, social media has done a lot of good. It’s connected people who never had anyone like them around, it allows creators to show their creations to a larger audience, and it helps us stay informed about what’s going on in the world, good and bad.

Short comment: This video needs to be everywhere. I wish I can go back in time and found your channel.

Honestly I feel like social media makes me worse because I let it make me worse. When I'm on the internet I tend to look for things that trigger my depression, eating disorder, self harm habits, etc. Not because I need "inspiration" but because I wonder what other people are thinking and it honestly has become an addiction.

self care video is a good idea!

Personally, I think the generations have never changed, just the resources have evolved. To me, I see social media (especially Twitter), is just like a newspaper. Therefore it's the same concept, but the stigma around technology blocks people's perception of this. Fashion & health magazines are Instagram (Photoshopping bodies has always been an issue with self-esteem, Instagram didn't create it). It's just the transition from paper to electronics. I still think it's unhealthy to be consumed by it, but I don't think in this light there is much difference. Not only does social media allow knowledge, but it's a huge resource for communication! However I agree that physical contact will give more satisfaction. I believe the issue does not lie within social media, it's something humans have always done (doesn't make it always right though, I think no matter what everything should be in moderation). Just my personal opinion! I agree with many of your points as well, though :)

@eleo1484

6 жыл бұрын

I don't agree that Twitter is like a newspaper, people will often only get one viewpoint (because it is more based on the opinion of people on twitter compared to factual or more balanced information) and more trapped in a bubble of the type of news they consume, if that makes sense? However yes I agree that Instagram is like a modern magazine.

@AzraBrooks

6 жыл бұрын

except a newspaper has a last page

omg your haaaair I love it!

@markbaumbargt3430

6 жыл бұрын

mehdigeek:. It is gorgeous, isn't it.

I asked my grandmother if social media could cause mental illness and she started laughing saying “I think it does, in some people yes”

I'm not really into social media but if I were, I know it would mess me up

I don't use my phone really (very active on social platforms) but aside from updating them, I'm not spending my time on them. A home? My phone is in the dock in my living room at all times. It AMAZES me how many people have commented on how "weird" it is. I'm sorry, was it weird in the 90's? Fuck nah. If they need me right away, call, volume is on. If they need me not right away? Call/email/text/leave a vm whatever. People really need to get their priorities straight. The people who expect insant replies (aside from time sensitive matters) on electronic devices are now my least favourite kind of person. My boyfriend just has a pay-as-you go phone from Amazon. No calling, no data, just text. Yet both of our jobs are in social media. Maybe that's why we don't use our phones? Regardless, I find myself looking forward to going to the zero-cell service cottage every summer.

@SpoonsForks

6 жыл бұрын

Omg I totally agree! I don't use my phone at work, keep it in my bag. When I get home I don't really go on it, I'm used to not being around it. I usually leave it in my purse till about 9'oclock when I'm ready for bed. I've realized the people who get angry about me not replying to their snaps of their food are the worst (like you said), and I don't really care if they're upset. My true friends don't care at all, just like I wouldn't care if they didn't respond to me for a few hours. (Unless of course an emergency!!!)

@user-uq6vn6yw9o

6 жыл бұрын

Splitleaf I wish I could say the same. I’m trying harder to restrain myself from spending so much time on my phone

On January 2017, I decided to not use Intagram for a whole year because it was messing so much with my mental health it was ridiculous. So I commited and didn't use it for a whole year, I didn't even looked at my friend's posts, and I can't stress enough how good this was for me. Since then, I have returned to use it regularly and I still enjoy it, but I just find myself much more smart about it and I don't let it consume me anymore (and if I feel like it's beginning to bring me down again, I just log out for a few hour or days until it doesn't bother me). I think that, as much fun as social media is, we all need a detox from time to time.

*YOUR HAIR IS SLAYING MY EXISTENCE*

I don’t have much social media anymore but I’m still addicted to my phone. I’m always holding it like a security blanket. I can’t help but check it every 20 minutes or so. I do try to take breaks from it. I notice my mental health deteriorates when I have Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr in my life, so I got rid of them a couple years ago. I have a private Twitter and Snapchat and that’s it.

in response to the title question: it definitely fed into my chronic mental illnesses + addictions (when I was struggling). I had a decent following online whilst I was a drug addict and I had online 'friends' who made me feel normal for doing drugs and prostituting my body etc by glamorizing it with me / romanticizing their own addictions. not blaming anyone besides myself btw!! just that it didn't help my delusional mindset at the time and made me feel normal and glamorous and like a 'fun party girl'.

The hardest thing for me is seeing all these tiny ladies posting pics of their huge desserts and junk food every day. I have really been struggling to lose weight but I just don't have that kind of metabolism so I get upset by it, even though I don't they honestly eat all of it

I'm the total opposite! I wake up and I am always sooo tired and feeling like I'm gonna fall! But I open my phone and watch a video and suddenly I feel more awake and cheerful. I understand excessive use is not healthy, especially with young children (I'm 12, but I'm on the fairly good side, I don't compare myself to people on the internet because it's mostly fake) I use the internet to learn and to see what's going on with the world. I know me tweeting about how the world is a dark place won't make it suddenly light up, but at least my followers will see what I think and it will make them try to fix the rough problems of the world. I try my best to use the internet as an outlet for my feelings, or something that makes ME feel happy and laugh. But I do absolutely agree with you about young (or old)people with anxiety being impressionable to "perfect" people and feeling like they aren't good enough. Like people who for example watch Jake and Logan Paul, they are impressionable and will think it's ok to do the things they do.

I totally agree with you! I think this video really made realise I need a break too, and stop the mindless scrolling. Thank you for another insightful video xx

This was such a wake up call for me, thank you Sarah!!

This hair is AMAZING, and you are glowing girl

Great video ! Your channel has been helping me a lot . It's quiet good when you can share different perspective of seeing the world and especially when u suffer from mental illness like anxiety and you see you're not the only one. Thanks xD

The hair looks great! I could listen to you speak about everything.

I completely agree with you ❤and your hair looks amazing

I just love your videos! Thank you for making amazing content. ❤️

This video is so on point wow 🙏🏻 I always knew I had some kind of depression due to sm but this put it in perspective 👌🏻 thank you so much this helps so much

omg you look stunningggg

Yeeessss a self care video would be great, especially from you Sarah!

I agree with you completely Sarah. Social media can be very triggering for me when it comes down to my depression and anxiety!

Your hair looks so pretty! I love the color. Also, I really admire seeing you not wearing makeup in your videos, it’s so cool to see a girl being confident and embracing her natural beauty. ❤️

Hey girl! I am 25 years old and I came to the same realization just lately! I can so relate to this topic ! I started to spend more time off my phone, cos same I did realize How I have phone addiction! Same goes to spending more quality time and I did learn how to take care of myself through small details. I can relate to each word of yours and how awesome there is people like u who I can relate! P.s instagram does make me feel anxious especially in the mornings! Every time I came back to this channel cos its honest! Thank u^^

I’ve been watching you for I’m not quite sure how long but it’s in the multiple years, I remember you making your horror channel. I just looked at your subscriber count and it surprised me! You definitely deserve so much more in my opinion. When you mentioned getting rid of social media or ignoring your phone could be self care it struck me since I’ve deactivated my Facebook account several times because I was in a mood/just felt negative side effects from having/looking at it and I always felt I was being dramatic but it’s nice to hear someone say I was justified in my actions.

Hey Sarah! Love your videos, very insightful. Greetings from Romania!

Yesss this video was amazing and well versed!! I deleted my instagram maybe a year ago. I only use snapchat now to keep in touch w my close friends who i personally know. Having instagram wasnt fulfilling which is why I deleted it. I had followers I didnt know and was liking pictures I didnt truly like if that makes sense lol. It was taking up so much of my free time and I didnt like feeling obligated to post or like things. I also started caring about my own likes and it hurt my self esteem. I now enjoy being less connected to my phone and less social media means less time wasted on my phone and more time for self care. Also note to self: buy a puzzle asap. 2nd thing I saw today about puzzles. The universe wants me to get into puzzles and im here for it! Great video and topic Sarah and ironically qcknd inspired me to finally ditch my instagram when I did. Funny how things come full circle. Keep up the great work! Your hair looks adorable btw

Great video Sarah! *.*

Your words and all of the comments have really made me think about my social media habits. I‘ve given it some thought before and I knew that I was definitely addicted (which I‘ve never been proud of), but as of right now i 100% feel the need to take more time off of social media. It‘s insane how much time we spend on all of those apps.

Your hair looks SO good 😍

A self-care video would be great!! This video was a good reminder to step away sometimes.. I know that social media is mainly bad for me personally and I need to spend more time away from it - especially the comment section haha. Good food for thought. I also just looked up puzzles cause that sounds super fun:)

A self-care video would be fantastic. Also I know that 100 people have already said it, but seriously, your hair is gorgeous!

I feel the same way about my phone..it makes me so mad sometimes that I feel like I can’t be away from it. But I’m reading more and moving back home from overseas in two weeks so rn i dont care about my phone and being on it but it’s deff changing when my life is back to normal. Loved this video 💛

love the hair! looks so full now x

This really gave me a lot to think about! I think it would be a good idea for me to try cutting down and enjoying the present more.

I love you for talking about this 💜💜💜💜 whenever I’m at work I always put my phone away and try and socialize with coworkers but everyone else is always obsessed with their phones

I completely agree with you on this topic! i recently went about 4 months without social media and it honestly felt so freeing and i felt less distracted. i decoted more time to doing things i liked and found myself generally in a better mood. because of this, i totally agree that although social media has good parts, its more or less toxic and harmful.

Loved this video ❤️💯

Today was the last day of a one month social media cleanse for me. I did it with the intent to hinder a lot of the comparing I was doing to other people. I have dealt with depression and anxiety for a while now and I feel like it really helped to unplug. Today I logged onto instagram (and saw your post about this video!) and I feel like I now have a new perspective of how to use it in a positive manor for myself. I think that social media can both cause and worsen mental illness, but if you learn to look at it objectively you are less likely to react negatively to it! I also found that I am no longer mindlessly scrolling through my social medias throughout the day. :) love your videos!

I actually love this video because I agree 100% with everything you’re saying. I used to be obsessed with social media.... I recently deactivated my Facebook. I want to use my phone less and less, but I have a long way to go. I definitely have compared myself to others, but my issue is I want to be more in the moment!! I’m tired of having to photograph everything I do... and I want to be more private. I would rather be outdoors, reading, etc. I miss the “olden” days too! I was born in ‘92, and I remember the days without a cell phone & social media! Those are memories I’ll cherish forever, I’m glad I grew up in the 90’s.

I didn't have Internet growing up, I got my first laptop when I was 16 and only last year i bought my smart phone. When I was little we had a shared phone with my siblings so that our parents could reach us at home. Before buying a smart phone, I would sometimes forget to even take my mobile with me. Now it feels that I have to have it with me if someone wants to be in touch. Perhaps if I'm just running errands or going to a local grocery store, I could just leave it home. I get easily irritated by hate comments/stupid people on social media. When I'm reading a controversial article I have to force myself not to read the comments. I have found that platforms like deviantart, instagram and youtube are great places for finding inspiration and sharing your own work. Though on instagram I have way too many interesting posts saved. Btw I love your new hair. Also just realized it was Monday 'cause of your upload. I love your opinions and your videos make my day. Hannah Witton spend a week without her phone. It was inspiring and I think everyone should try it. Last summer I spent a month without Internet and social media etc, because my laptop broke.

The routine videos are always welcomed

I know I'm a little late getting to this, but the discussion of upward comparison on social media really resonated with me. I remember a few months ago I was discussing with my therapist how I always felt pathetic looking at my friends' profiles because a lot of their pictures seem to be with other people and most of mine are just me alone and I feel depressed about it. Not exactly what you were talking about maybe, but it ties in.

this made me self-reflect a lot...thank you.

(lengthy comment I'm sorry lol) First off, I'm living for your hair! And second, yes!!! I am so glad to hear someone talk about this! I actually did a persuasive speech in my public speaking class on why social media negatively affects our mental health. I did a little experiment and asked about 10 of my friends (all girls) whether or not social media had a negative influence on them and they all said yes. Despite this...people stared at me like I had 5 heads during the speech and maybe one or two people nodded in agreement. And despite all of my friends saying yes, some of them are avid users and, honestly, addicts to social media. I feel like this issue sums up all of the younger people of our time (15-30 year olds). We care about mental health but we're also still thriving off of the things that have affected our mental health. The power of the people who are so recognizable (like celebs) and current technology is too much for any of us to just put the phones down and step away... to see things from other perspectives. It will never be possible to go back, and we will never stay the same, but how do we go forward without causing further damage???? Sometimes this shit keeps me up at night because the good is SO good but the bad is SO bad! How do we change that!? Honestly someone reply with ideas if possible hahaha

How is your friend doing Sarah? Did she have the little baby I hope everything went well and that they are both happy healthy and safe, I’m thinking of you all and I’m sending all my love and support to all of you! ❤️🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 I do believe that social media causes so much stress, anxiety and yes even mental illness we have the whole world at our fingertips and that can be very overwhelming, thank you so much for making this very relevant video you have helped so much by starting a discussion, as that is the only way humanity and Society can move forward towards a better future for everyone and everything, thank you so much Sarah xxxxxxxxx

LOVE your hair!!!

Love this and I agree! Its addictive. Everytime you get a message you get a dopamine-rush in your brain. I want to live more offline. Its stressing that everyone can reach you all the time and so on...

For anyone who has stepped away from their phone for similar reasons as her, I don’t care that I don’t know you personally, or at all really, but I am extremely proud of you! Not only for that, but also for stepping back and recognizing what it was doing to you... somewhat like self accountability in a way if that makes sense. I’m glad you did what you felt was best for you, regardless of the fact that social media is so integrated into our lives now. I haven’t deleted any of my stuff, I just rarely go on Facebook and that’s it.. What tipped me over the edge was getting an INSANE amount of followers on Instagram, actually getting paid really good money to take pics of free stuff sent to me, etc; but also trying to keep up with all of it and all the letters being sent to me( I still feel horrible I have stacks and stacks of letters I stilll haven’t written back to). I just couldn’t handle it and I just shut off all notifications off of every app. Like I said, I look at Facebook here and there and that’s it now! I’m happy that I’ve been back using this account to just watch my fav youtubers for the past couple years :) If anyone actually gave a fuck enough to read this, I love you lol. I literally NEVER comment, so thanks for taking the time

Your hair looks amazing!!

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK U ROCK

I am the same. When my depression got severe I had to delete my social media apps because I feel myself getting into that dark place. I ended up redownloading them once I got better. I agree that I am addicted but at the same time I have this feeling that I don't want to be on my phone. I want to just turn it off and I never want to take it with me. But there is little voice in the back of my head saying that if I don't have my phone with me I won't be able to call someone during an emergency or I'll miss something aka what you said about fomo. Now and days I am trying to not be on my phone and be more aware of the outside world. What I do is keep my phone with me because it really is my only form of communication (I don't have a house phone). And the times I'm constantly on my phone/ social media and I stop myself and put it away and grab a book. Love your channel

Love the haircut and color!!!

Loooove the hair!!

Hair looks amazing! I like these topic discussions, social media is such a grey area

your hair looks beautiful!!

This video was really interesting! Not gonna lie, I love social media, and I personally feel like I gain more inspiration from it than depression, but I AM a bit too addicted. It does help that I still use a prepaid phone (still a smart phone though), and therefore never go online on places where I don't have access to wifi, or where I need to ask about getting a password. What you said about only checking your phone when there's something spesific you need to check, sound like a good habit. Definitly gonna try that!

Definitely do a video on a self-care routine!

Such an interesting video Sarah​ found the puzzle an amazing idea to do :D sometime my boyfriend & I struggle finding thing to do & I'm going to suggest the puzzle haha :D

Im currently on this social media detox challenge and its super refreshing!

this is so important!!!!!!

Very good video. I also notice that going on twitter a lot makes me feel bad and sad. But for me it’s not so much the happy tweets that make me feel bad but when people constantly tweet how lonely and sad they are I start to think „well I‘m also kinda lonely“ and then it’ll just snowball and I‘ll feel terrible. So it’s definitely a good idea to try and be less connected

@_bebeboudeur_

5 жыл бұрын

I also get that and I'm sorry because I'm the kind of people who need to write down their feelings so it can be out there and not holding on to me. Also, most political news makes me feel bad lately so I've been avoiding twitter kinda

Your hair looks so good!!!!,

I love “same dark places” by JR JR, such a good song!

I love your hair, it is very beautiful! 😍

I think I needed this video. I've been having low self-esteem and social media definetly makes me feel worse. Sometimes I want to quit every social media but I just can't.. I wish could.

Loved this Video! I‘m such a phone addict! And I don‘t like that, but it‘s really hard to overcome the constant need to pick it up.. i‘m not that much into social media more into whatsapp, youtube and I need to answer instantly if someone texted 🙈 thats so annoying...

I’m so upset I didn’t get a notify now I’m hella late to the party 🙄😩

I absolutely agree with you on this, everything you said basically I agree with 👍🏼

Facebook wanted my real surname with documents to prove it. I said hell no, I'm not uploading any documents to facebook, thank you very much. Since then I have been blocked by fb. Best thing ever! :D it was just such a waste of time!

@_bebeboudeur_

5 жыл бұрын

It's hard for me to get rid of Facebook as there is groups for university stuff and events that I wouldn't know about otherwise, also I've got more people on Messenger than in my actual phone contacts (idk if that's just me?)

I love all your psychology videos, can you recommend any other channels similar to yours?

I really like what you said, i want to just, keep listening to it over and over to keep the right perspective in mind. I don't see a huge affect on depression in my life due to social media, but I DO find myself feeling foggy, unfocused, and just unfulfilled after I've wasted some time on my phone. Additionally, I do get tired of feeling like I have to respond to people. It's like a mosquito buzzing in my ear. I get to the point where I want people to leave me alone. I also keep asking the question, what would be outlet be today if i didn't have social media? How would I be expressing my thoughts and feelings? Would I still be doing _____ if social media didn't exist? I believe I'm like a year older than you so I too feel lucky to have been able to grow up without the constant poking of smart phones and the internet. I still find myself believing that it could all disappear in an instant, like that this is temporary so we shouldn't get used to it. If it all just went poof and was gone, then what would we have left? I think we all need to find a balance and maybe one day a more balanced lifestyle will be the norm, who knows!

facebook newsfeed eradicator has helped me change the way i use fb - instead of your newsfeed for no reason it just shows an inspirational quote

Love the new length of hair!

yes for self care video!

Social media is generally bad, for me at least. Every time I'm on Instagram or Facebook I start comparing myself to other people and it triggers my depression. I try to stay away from it but it just sucks me back in everytime because I still want to stay connected to other people and a lot of of the time it seems like that's the only way to do that.

I love the colour of your hair 😍

Definitely get you. When I was in College I would have a lot of free time and when I woke up I would immediately go through instagram and boy, did that trigger my anxiety. Even now, the days when I have more free time to 'relax' and more time to scroll, I usually am more anxious than the days when I'm completely busy and won't stop. I also find it quite difficult to remain focused on one task only, which is also unnerving. Fortunately as I am growing older I also give more value to the 'be bored' time as it is great for spontaneous walks, creativity and new activities. I don't binge watch Netflix anymore, I try to restrict my social media habits, and also am learning to draw and started reading so much more. In addition, I've also noticed that I started to crave traveling, but not only as a form of seeing the world and having fun and learning, but I felt that if I didn't than I wasn't good enough and wasn't living enough. Man, it's one of the things I love the most and I was doing it for all the wrong reasons.

I LOVE YOUR HAIR

I did my research project for grad school (counseling) on the relationship of depression and social media. Also your hair is very Jessica rabbit.

Your outfit is adorable!

All the stories definitely makes me have this fear of missing out and sometimes I unfollow people who make me feel bad but, in the discover section, I'll find others to replace them and it goes on and on (feeling ugly and not stylish/aesthetic enough, especially on Instagram)

Same! I feel so mad sometimes, and it's because I feel constrained to absorb so much media before everything else. I hate it! I've taken some lengths to delete apps and some channels I follow. I've been feeling a lot better about myself.

I'm with you on the social media thing. I was born in 1980 so didn't have a mobile until I was 17 and didn't have the internet in my home until my 20s. I feel so attached to my phone and feel compelled to check my social media regularly. I've put an application on my phone that allows me an hour on each app daily to try and stop me constantly scrolling. I've started paying attention to my shows more, tho my partner refuses and is always scrolling. I've cleared out who I follow on Instagram and only follow people that motivate me and make me happy. As soon as I have a bad thought about an account, like comparing myself, I just unfollow. I am reading more and also got back into painting and drawing to occupy my spare time. I do miss out on some things, like gigs and events but I'm fine with it right now. The travel and posing thing is just all over now. Staged and heavily edited photos are some of the things I don't like to follow. I follow a lot of van life accounts, but they're all the real ones that show the not so glam side of things. I'm nearing 40 so it's super important to me to have a positive image of myself, and sometimes social media isn't the best thing for that. But again that's why I try and follow body positive real people. It's hard sometimes!

I have sunset orange in my hair right now and it's like bright fluorescent orange because it's over a blonde base. It looks lovely over your darker base color!

I'm waiting for your self-care routine video)))

I’m glad that I personally do not feel the urge to check my phone even though I have a nice, updated iPhone and social media on it. In all honesty, social media is too much work for me, so I simply couldn’t be bothered; I am also not that interested which is a blessing. The only apps I constantly check are KZread and gmail these days. I also have my phone on do not disturb 24/7; it makes my parents mad bc I don’t respond to their texts right away. It does feel good to not be glued to my phone though; the whole complete interest in the program I’m watching on Netflix is the best, I get super invested and it’s great.

I also think social media can be good and bad like you said, but it also depends on how you use it and see it. I also only got my first computer when I was 18 and the phone I had at that time was a Nokia that just let me text, call and play snake. I feel like social media never was a big thing to me until I started sharing my art online. It was great to be able to reach so many people. As an artist it's super important to have critics to grow. But then if we let ourselves get affected by the number, it can be destructive. We all just want more, but in real life I would never be able to reach half as many people as I do now. It's already so good and I'm so grateful for the people that comments my art. So this is how I try to see social media: just being able to reach my best friend that lives 3 567,0 km away from me and be able to have a live conversation, without wasting money, it's already a miracle xD

Because it is sooo ingrained in how we live now, there needs to, first of all, basic mental health classes in schools, and some of those classes should be dedicated to dealing with how social media manipulates us. In every generation there are things older people don’t like because they aren’t ‘in it’, but most of those things are a new way of life and won’t go away so we need to figure out a way to have social media without damaging some of the younger or more isolated users.

I agree with everything you said!

Angela Chase vibes with that hair color ;) LOOOOOVE it