People are often surprised to learn that I don’t use any social media accounts (excluding LinkedIn, which I use professionally). Since several of my reasons for avoiding social media are related to mental health and wellness, I thought I would share them in today’s blog.

Please note, I am not writing this to make anyone feel bad for using social media. Almost everyone I know uses it and there is zero judgment on my part. I actually believe that social media can be a positive thing in many ways, and it is certainly helpful for connecting with others, spreading awareness, and promoting one’s art/music/writing etc. Of course, there is such a thing as using it too much or using it inappropriately, but I’m not here to criticize, or to persuade anyone to quit. My purpose for writing this simply is to give you some food for thought.

So, why do I avoid social media? I offer these four reasons, based on my own past experience:on my part.

When I was feeling anxious and/or depressed, or even just having a bad day, going on Facebook made me feel so much worse. I would compare myself to others and get down on myself. Checking out other people’s beautiful pictures and interesting lives, I would feel boring, ugly, inferior, and envious. I would seek validation from likes and comments, rather than building my self-worth in a truly meaningful way.

I think this is an issue with the Internet/smartphones in general, but it especially applies to social media. Waiting in a line, sitting on a bus, lying in bed: these are all good times for some daydreaming, self-reflection, or just quietly observing other people and the world…but I would immediately whip out my phone instead and start scrolling through my Facebook feed. After a while, I found that I would get bored really easily when I didn’t have access to Internet. I realized that constantly distracting myself was taking away from my ability to be content with myself and my own thoughts.

Social media is a real time-suck. Some people feel pressure to be constantly active online and they put a lot of work into maintaining their profile. Others get carried away looking at social media and wind up in an Internet rabbit hole. I was more of the second one; I was addicted to content. Eventually, I got sick of glancing at the clock to find that a whole hour had passed and I didn’t have anything to show for it, except possibly feeling worse about myself (see Reason #1). Quitting was like a weight lifted off of me.

It’s a bit ironic, since social media is about relationships, but I found that interacting online left me less energy for my real-life relationships. It’s easy to feel connected when you have hundreds of online friends and exposure to snapshots of their lives, but I have to be honest and say that my close relationships have only improved since I quit. And those people who I never heard from again were no big loss. People can only manage a limited number of relationships, and it made more sense for me to devote my energy to a few people I could really count on rather than dozens of acquaintances whose interaction was often limited to the obligatory “Happy Birthday” on each other’s Walls.

So there you have it. Like I said, this is based on my own personal experience, and there are likely many people who can use social media in a healthy and positive way. But it never hurts to reflect on your habits and the impact they have on your well-being!

Andi Atkins is a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) in Barrie, Ontario. To learn more or to book a free 30-minute orientation, please visit www.lindsaytsang.com/andi