How do I get off my phone?

Dear Safety Sam,

I was wondering if you could help me log off my phone and social media. I have become increasingly depressed as I spend more time on social media.

All I see on Instagram and Snapchat are unrealistic standards that I feel I must change and fit into. For example, yesterday I saw a teen girl on Instagram with a perfect body and paper white teeth. I keep seeing things like that and all I can think of is how I can change and fit into that standard.

I always need to check my phone to see if my friends are doing anything just so I feel as though I am not missing out.

Sincerely,

Distressed Donnie

Dear Distressed Donnie,

It is important to spend more time with those around you rather than through a screen. If social media is hurting, it should be time to dampen the time spent online to try and better yourself and suppress self-harm.

If you feel that you must meet these unrealistic standards, stop, and try and be yourself and make a standard of your own. Do not feel that you are not good enough and try to be like everyone else, be your own person and take inspiration but do not try to be exact, trying to become like everyone else is unhealthy and unreasonable. Be the person that you were made to be and not like how you feel you should be.

Instead of checking your phone check in with your friends and interact with them in person, and not through a screen.

I feel that from my past experiences that trying to be like everyone else does more harm than good. The fact that trying to be like everyone else confuses me and feels irrelevant to your life outside of the screen. These thoughts need to be thrown in the trash and think better of yourself and look at the good parts of yourself rather than the bad parts.

In Social Media Addiction Treatment (Omega Recovery) they describe some signs of addiction:

  1. The first thing you do in the morning is check social media.
  2. You check social media during the work day.
  3. You are anxious when you cannot check your social media.
  4. You are constantly checking how your posts perform.
  5. You spend a lot of time overthinking and planning your posts.

My advice is that trying to be like everyone else isn’t healthy rather than trying to be the person that you are meant to be.

Sincerely,

Safety Sam