In Arianna Huffington’s book, Thrive (which if you haven’t read, I strongly recommend you do), she writes, “ ‘Generation Y’, otherwise known as the millennials, could be given a third, more alarming name: ‘generation stress.’ ”
While there are many reasons behind this copious amount of stress, it may just be a byproduct of social media. Social media has many benefits but frequent breaks and connecting the good old-fashioned way can be more beneficial. If you are feeling disconnected, it may be time to reset, recharge and reconnect.
Get in some real facetime
Feeling disconnected?
Lonely?
Make plans!
If those you care about are not close by, FaceTime works too.
Get off social media and talk to family and friends in person or on the phone. For me, living apart from family means FaceTime and planned trips home are crucial.
Get connected. Face to face, not just face to screen scrolling.
Realize there’s more to this than meets the eye
While I think it’s fun to share vacation photos and events I attend, my darkest days are only seen by those closest to me. It’s similar to being asked by a stranger or an acquaintance, “How are you?” and even when you’re not ok, you most likely say, “I’m fine” or “I’m good.” The truth is, we all have bad moments and bad days. The highlight reel is not always real and more often than not, there is more to the story. If you are constantly on social media looking at people’s highlight reels don’t forget to put this concept in place. No one is walking around problemless. Meeting with your friends and family in person offers the opportunity to seek advice, build stronger relationships and connect on a deeper level.
Reel it back in
Perhaps you remember the days of the disposable camera–my favorite! Sometimes it would take me so long to fill the camera that by the time I went in to have it developed, I had forgotten all the pictures I had taken. Then, I’d get to a picture of my girlfriends and I, only to find that someone wasn’t looking, someone wasn’t smiling, someone’s eyes were closed, or possibly someone’s hair swept across her face and was stuck to her lip gloss. There were no filters, no redo’s-it was real. Don’t forget about all those moments, the moments in your life that don’t have a filter, don’t get posted, or don’t get a lot of likes, because those moments are just as significant.
Don’t be afraid to unplug, relax, and recharge.
Your real self will thank you for it.