You Can Improve Your Mental Health!

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The pandemic has had an enormous impact on me. First of all, I caught Covid in the summer of 2022 and spent several days without the ability to taste or smell. I seem to have recovered without long Covid, but as a result of the disruptions to every facet of my life I centered mental health in my daily consciousness. I joined an online meditation group where we meet twice a month, and I even incorporate meditation into my teaching practices. There are many great videos on YouTube I have found and my students seem to enjoy!

Why should Mental Health be a priority?

An analysis from Pew Research titled "Teens, Social Media and Technology 2022" found many surprising, and some unsurprising findings regarding teen use of technology. The first finding is that nearly 95% of teens report using apps like YouTube "almost constantly". There were some surprising differences among internet and social media use with regards to gender and ethnic groupings. Pew has found that teenage girls are more likely to use Tik-Tok, Instagram, and Snapchat; while teenage boys are more likely to use Twitch, Reddit, and YouTube. 

Given the rampant use of social media it's not uncommon for teens and adults to decide to take a break. Brain breaks have proven to be beneficial for our mental health. Even celebrities are finding their mental health improves when they take a social media detox.

Recently, Healthline published an article on "Why You May Need to Take a Social Media Break Just Like Tom Holland" The article describes several celebrities calling it quits on social media for a period of time. Those celebrities include Tom Holland (aka Spiderman), Hailey Bieber (Justin's wife), and Shawn Mendes. All have reported increased mental health after taking time off from their social media accounts. 

Does a detox have to be permanent?

The short answer is No! Studies have found benefits from quitting social media for a week. Participants have found increased mental health including: reduced information overload, the ability to live in the moment, and greater appreciation for living life. 

Need further guidance on breaking up with social media? 

There is an organization that can help called Live More, Screen Less. Live More, Screen Less is an organization that helps people break their social media addiction. They describe five ways that social media can affect well-being negatively:

Image source: screenshot of Live More, Screen Less landing page


  • Social well-being: leading to increased isolation, unfair comparisons, loneliness, and decreased communication
  • Emotional well-being: leading to feeling overwhelmed, moody, and irritable
  • Mental well-being: leading to anxiety, depression, and procrastination (this is where I land at times)
  • Physical well-being: leading to sleep issues, increased sedentary time, and fatigue
  • Cognitive well-being: leading to distraction, information overload, and even addiction!
Live More, Screen Less offers a training and certification program to help people combat these negative affects of too much screen time.

Have you found other resources to help with your mental health? Do you find benefits from limiting screen time and access to social media? Please share in the comments below!

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