Selena Gomez takes social media break: Should we?

American actress, singer and producer Selena Gomez shared a video explaining her absence from social media.

Selena posted the message via her IGTV on Instagram to her 184.9m followers, with the caption “A message from me”.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) on Jul 29, 2020 at 7:52pm PDT

In the short clip, the 28-year-old actress explained that she decided to steer clear of posting on social media channels.

However, as there have been so many things that have happened in this year, she did not want to appear insensitive. She took the time to explain why she was doing this.

Is Selena Gomez on the right track?

Gomez is not the only star who has taken a social media break over the years. If there are so many stars doing it for their mental health and wellbeing, there might be something to it, right?

According to Media Update, South Africans spend eight hours and 25 minutes a day on the internet, which is higher than the global average of six hours and 41 minutes.

You might not know this, but there are many benefits from taking a social media hiatus.

Benefits of a social media detox

Free time

Since we spend almost eight and a half hours a day on the internet, we could be having lots of free time if we don’t. Think of all the things we could do with that extra time in our day.

We always complain about not having enough time, so this could be your answer. You could even have enough time in the day to take multiple naps. An eight-hour nap anyone?

Better mood

“More time spent on social media equals a higher risk of developing depression.”

Life Hack

According to Life Hack, more time spent on social media equals a higher risk of developing depression.

Perhaps all those feelings of anxiety, high stress or depression are directly linked to your social media use. Who wouldn’t want to feel happier?

Regain self-confidence

We all know that social media can affect the way people see themselves. Not only do social media cause you to compare yourself to others physically, but they can also lead you to compare yourself to others socially as well.

You are at home every weekend but every Instagram story that pops up is of people having fun and going out.

Unfortunately, this affects you emotionally. You might not feel it at first but eventually it may get to you.

It shouldn’t, though, and that is why it could mean that you are better off without social media.

Sleep better

You know you are guilty. When you cannot sleep, the first thing you do is scroll through Instagram, Facebook or Twitter feeds. You sometimes even find yourself indulging in some YouTube or Tik Tok videos.

According to Science News For Students, the blue light of your phone or laptop can confuse your body on when it is time to sleep.

That is why we can stay hours and hours on social media before we eventually end up falling asleep (or we look at the time and force ourselves to sleep).

If you want to wake up in the morning and feel like a million dollars, then try not to use social media for at least two hours before bedtime.

Or if you are feeling brave, just take the break. If Selena Gomez could do it and feel good, it may work for you too.

We are not saying give it up for good because, to be honest, that could be the hardest thing to ask anyone in today’s age.

All we are suggesting is taking a few breaks from social media to help improve your psychological wellbeing and your sleep, which in turn improves your physical wellbeing.

Are you up for it?