Why Social Media Makes You Tired
To start with the conclusion, the reason you feel tired when looking at social media is not because you are weak-willed.
It is structurally designed to be tiring.
When you casually open social media,
and updates or achievements of others flow by,
your mood can become heavy without you knowing why.
Even if you know you 'shouldn't look,'
you end up looking anyway.
That, too, is a very natural thing.
—
Social media is more likely to create 'comparison' than 'information'
Social media gathers
the results of people's efforts and moments when things are going well.
That in itself is not a bad thing.
However, if you are tired when receiving it,
it may come across as a comparison rather than information.
Before you think 'that's amazing,'
'What am I doing with my life?'
comes to mind.
This is not a personality issue,
but a matter of timing.
—
You are only looking at a finished snapshot
What flows through social media is
a captured moment.
• Results that went well
• Fun times
• Scenes that look like success
The anxiety and hesitation leading up to that
are almost never visible.
When you compare that with your own daily life,
it is inevitable that you will feel a gap.
—
The more tired you are, the more easily you are affected
Even with the same post,
you might not mind it when you are feeling energetic,
but it might sting only when you are tired.
This is
a sign that your own state is low.
You don't need to blame yourself
for 'being affected.'
—
Your distance from social media doesn't have to be 0 or 100
You don't need to quit social media entirely.
However,
just keeping your distance when you are feeling down
is enough.
Close it temporarily.
Don't look at notifications.
Set a time limit.
Just doing that will change how you feel.
—
When you still end up looking
On days when you still end up looking,
please don't try to stop yourself from 'having looked.'
Instead,
prioritize recovering yourself
after you have looked.
Close the screen.
Take a deep breath.
Look at something right in front of you.
That is enough.
—
One easy option
If you feel tired, close the app.
You don't need to think about the reason.
You don't need to try to stop comparing.
Just closing it is enough.
—
Summary
• Social media being tiring is a structural problem
• What you are seeing is only a captured part
• It is okay to adjust your distance
Even if you feel tired after looking at social media today,
that is not your weakness.
The moment you notice it and take a step back,
you are already protecting yourself enough.