The title says it all, or at least a part of what this 'juicy article' is about. I broke off a demanding, energy and time consuming, toxic relationship cold turkey. I woke up one day and I decided to cut all ties, and suddenly I saw all the answers to my problems I had for years. For some time now, my job, school and personal life has been super demanding. I think we can all vow for that when I say this: this tech-savy world with everything being at a push of a button is great and everything but it is also (mentally and) emotionally draining. I struggled a lot with high-functioning anxiety because I was a perfectionist; my job required it from me. To be working in a department that is constantly under a microscope and having all eyes on you, you can't afford to make mistakes or be wrong. For that reason, I was always trying to out-do myself and try to perform better than the day before. Being an all A's and B's student also had it perks especially when you were chosen to be class president (for the 4th time in your student career). Next to all that, I had my personal life, professional life working part time and side jobs, and extra curricular activities. Maybe for you reading this, your life is somewhat distinct or similar. However the bottom line is this: the fuller your schedule, the more anxious you tend to feel. We live in a culture that praises hard work, and people who are always 'ready to help' any time (and I mean any time of the day or week) you ask them for a favor. There came a point that my phone would not stop buzzing. My phone is always lighting up and buzzing with Facebook friend requests, messages, emails that won't stop coming in, whatsapp from class mates asking for help, colleagues, family members, friends who want to go out, clients requesting a new quote and so on. You get it right? At a certain point it became physically irritating to the point that I didn't event want to look at my phone. What happened after that was that I got a lot MORE texts and mails of people asking why I was not responding or ignoring them. Not once has it occurred to anyone that when I am not working or I am not doing any of my obligations because I need some me-time, I really mean ME time. I didn't want to be the buzz-killer, but I couldn't take it anymore. So one morning I woke up and I decided to remove all of my social media platforms from my phone. I realized that I had a choice; to either be a slave to my obligations, other people, my social media, my phone, and an anxiously filled life that was deteriorating my health, or I can just take control back of my life.
I was so accustomed to checking my phone on a more than normal daily basis, that I thought I wouldn't survive without my social media accounts despite the fact that I knew how anxious and stressed they were making me. To my surprise I have never felt any better and more alive. For the first time I can finally wake up to the sounds of birds and my own biological clock instead of notifications. I can easily enjoy the company of my loved ones without having my phone and obligations rob me from those special moments I might never get back. Social media was created to connect us all together, not divide us more. The sad reality is that we have become so depended on it that even employers (and colleagues choose to reach its workers or partners on holidays, weekends and after work hours in AM. We all have a choice, to either fuel our stress and anxiety or cut ties with it. I cut my relationship my social media fees, and it freed me from the anxiety I was struggling with in silence and because of that, I have never felt any braver.
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My name is Keyla and I am a second year university student studying social work. I blog about social media, lifestyle, health, beauty, love, relationships, career and student life-hacks. Leave a comment and give my articles a ❤️ or 👍🏻 and don't forget to share to show your support. 😘, Keyla Publication Dates
March 2018
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