Disconnect from Facebook for Improved Well-being: Learn How to Find More Health and Happiness

Facebook has become an inseparable part of our life. 

Tapping on the feeds. Posting all about our lives. Checking out the latest buzz. Buying and selling stuff. Chatting and sharing. Keeping updates on our friends. Browsing the most engaging content. Hours pass in a blink of an eye on Facebook.

We are all hooked to this social media platform.

But this entertaining time machine has a big downside to it. 

Facebook is addictive.

And anything that’s addictive is destructive. 

Recent studies say that less Facebook means more health and happiness. 

I could not agree more!

Cutting down your gadget time is the first step towards a healthy life. 

Facebook is keeping people away from a healthy lifestyle. Glued to the gadget, people are missing out on workouts and physical activities. Many eat mindlessly while scrolling down the feeds. And this has played an instrumental role in the detrimental health report of the past decade!

Also Read: How to Find Your Purpose and Live a Happy and Healthy Life?

Facebook and health: Clinical Studies 

Studies say that Facebook plays a detrimental role, keeping people away from a healthy lifestyle. In a study, reduced use of Facebook showed a significant reduction in cigarette smoking. The same study also reported better physical activity in the participants. 

The study put a restrain on Facebook use, intensity, and Addiction. 

The participants reported an increase in life satisfaction and a decrease in depressive symptoms. 

Logging out of Facebook is like coming out of jail. Participants spent more time on recreation and bonding. The frequency of their physical activities increased. Participants were more focused on their health and happiness. 

In the long term, these paraments play a very crucial role in determining the quality of life.

6 Reasons why less Facebook use means more health and happiness

Facebook is no doubt an invaluable tool!

In many ways, it feels like a blessing, but this boon can be a bane for your health.

Check out these 6 reasons that explain how less Facebook means more health and happiness. 

Facebook tends to cause dissatisfaction and anxiety among users

• The fake edited filtered life of Facebook can make many feel insecure. 
• Some get conscious about their body image while others compare their achievements. 
• Nobody shares their low points on Facebook. That makes everyone’s life look picture perfect. But this is just an illusion. Forever happiness is a myth. But the expectation of it creates a sense of dissatisfaction and anxiety among the users. 
• Looking at the airbrushed photos of holidays and parties most people feel missing out on life. They feel low, anxious and depressed after scrolling through their Facebook page.

Reducing Facebook time can bust the bubble of these negative feelings.

Also Read: Self-help strategies to cope with social anxiety

Facebook triggers the Fear of missing out on life

Fear of missing out is a real fear!

And it’s been around far longer than social media. 

Kids in the 90s refused to skip school for the fear of missing out on the exciting part.

Today it’s social media that’s exacerbating these feelings.

The fear of missing out compels you to pick your phone every minute. You feel this compulsion to keep checking for updates and respond to each alert. Even at the cost of putting your life at risk or missing out on work and sleep. 

It’s very important to control this compulsion before it turns into an addiction.

Also Read: Kids and Gadgets – Giving your kid the phone is a grave mistake

High Facebook usage can push people to Isolation

Facebook promotes unhealthy self-centeredness in people.

Sharing endless selfies and thoughts on the status distance you from the real world.

A study revealed that high usage of Facebook results in increased feelings of loneliness. Though it was thought to work the other way round. Facebook can keep people engaged and entertained but it cannot fill the hollowness inside.  

The same study reported that reduced Facebook use can lower the feelings of loneliness and improve wellness.

Even if you sit in a room and talk to 100 people on the phone, you are still alone. Getting out of the virtual world gives a chance to connect to real people and make real connections. 

Also Read: How to survive social isolation?

High Facebook use is a reason for Depression 

Facebook is marked as one of the main causes of depression in this modern day. 

A new study confirmed the more you use Facebook, the worse you feel.

Many smartphone users check their Facebook first thing in the morning and last thing before bed. Facebook feeds the mind with negativity, jealousy, anxiety. This has resulted in a new wave of Facebook depression. 

Studies revealed Facebook depression can promote substance abuse. It can also encourage unsafe sexual practices, aggression and self-destruction in teenagers. Facebook is also cited as a cause of marital feuds which ends up in divorce.

Cyberbullying is another major cause of distress and depression among teens. Trolling, slamming and abuse are other causes of depression in Facebook users. Thus, using this tool in the right way is very important for mental health. 

Lowering the time of Facebook use is one way to control these feelings.

Also Read: Ayurvedic Treatment for Depression

Facebook can trigger eating disorders

Studies show the more time adolescent girls spent on Facebook the more likely they are to develop eating disorders. Anorexia, bulimia and extreme dieting are some of the side effects of Facebook mania.

Exposure to fashion content increases the risk of eating disorders.

Another thing about Facebook is that it’s making people eat mindlessly. They aren’t even looking at the plates. This is another cause of the rise in eating disorders among millennials. 

Feeling a range of emotions while eating creates distress in digestion!

Also Read: Osho on mindful eating

Facebook can disturb your sleep discipline

Excess of Facebook is detrimental to psychological and physical health.

Research says that using gadgets before bedtime ruins the quality of your sleep.

Many people have this habit of checking their Facebook feeds before snoozing off.

A 5-minute quick update can turn into hours of chatting or binging. This can disrupt your sleep and keep you from getting the rest your body needs. Lack of sleep can provoke malaise. 

Sleeplessness is also a cause of irked mood, stress, and anxiety.

Studies also say lack of sleep in the long term can cause chronic diseases.

Also Read: Positive thinking leads to good sleep

Less Facebook use means better health and happiness for you

Studies found a strong link between increased Facebook use and raised risk for depression. 

It can also trigger anxiety, loneliness, self-harm and addiction.

Facebook addiction can cause neurological, psychological, and social problems.

However, that does not mean you should deactivate your Facebook account.

Everything in moderation is good.

All you have to do is reduce your time spent on Facebook and go on a detox regime every now and then. That’s the secret to sanity, health and wellness in the long run. So, in conclusion, I would say, reduced Facebook use means more health and happiness for you!