When your heart is tired, social media is too stimulating

Hello, this is Reiji Kuga.

When you have been using social media for a long time, you may feel that even the same post can be perceived differently depending on your state of mind on the day you see it.

Personally, I am not the type to dwell on social media numbers or criticism for long. For better or worse, I think I move on quite quickly.

Even so, when I open my timeline on a day when I am tired from work or creative projects, there are times when words that wouldn't normally bother me get stuck in my mind.

It is not that social media has suddenly turned into a bad place.

It is just that I no longer have the mental capacity to brush things off.

I think that when your heart is tired, social media becomes a much more stimulating place than you might imagine.

Days when someone else's success looks like your own delay

Days when work didn't go well from the morning, or days when tasks didn't progress as planned.

When you open social media at such times, even a report of someone's success that you would normally be happy for can look like proof that you are falling behind.

The person who posted it has no ill intent.

They landed a job. Their work was praised. Their followers increased.

They are just writing about something that made them happy.

When you are feeling energetic, you might see that and think you should do your best too. But when you are tired, it feels like a list of things you are lacking is being laid out before you.

I, too, have had days when my work wasn't progressing and other people's activities looked brighter than usual.

It is less about envy, and more like a feeling that I am the only one standing still.

In reality, someone else moving forward has nothing to do with my own value. I know that much.

Even knowing that, there are days when it still gets to me.

The timeline does not know your state of mind

On social media, fun stories, anger, controversies, and sad news all flow onto the same screen.

The timeline doesn't know whether you are tired or not.

If you look at one dark topic for too long, similar posts may appear one after another. You opened social media to try and lift your spirits, but before you know it, you've added to your anxieties.

I don't think this is a matter of whether one's mental state is strong or weak.

Even strong people get tired.

Even people who can usually brush things off will find words cutting when they run out of emotional capacity.

That is why I believe it is perfectly fine to choose not to look at social media on such days.

Posting and staying on the timeline are different things

I consider posting to be a part of the creative process.

I have been making the metaverse drama "Crossroad" with Project Alive, but the work didn't reach people just by being completed.

No matter how much time you spend on something, if it isn't known, it's almost as if it doesn't exist.

That is why I use social media. I also write notes. I check the numbers too.

If there is no reaction, I sometimes review how I deliver the work first, rather than the work itself.

However, just because posting is necessary, it doesn't mean you have to stay on the timeline all the time.

Posting and endlessly looking at other people's posts are different things.

You can just post an announcement and close the app, or put off replying until the next day. Even if you decide not to look today, the relationships you have built up until now will not suddenly disappear.

In fact, if you keep pushing yourself and end up hating social media itself, it will take longer to return.

Even while "Crossroad" was on hold, the numbers were moving

"Crossroad" was paused for about a year during production.

During that time, new works were being released one after another on social media, and new creators were appearing.

Of course, it's not that I didn't feel anxious.
Will people really watch it if I remake the whole thing now?

I was worried that while I was taking my time, the metaverse drama itself might be forgotten.

I did have that anxiety.

But even if I watched the speed of others, "Crossroad" wouldn't get a second closer to completion.

What was needed wasn't to keep up with the timeline, but to face the stalled project once again.

Reviewing the script, thinking about filming methods, and talking with the people who help me.

Outside the screen, someone else might have been moving faster. Even so, we had no choice but to return to our own work.

Stepping away from social media is not always an act of running away.

Sometimes you need distance to remember the place you should return to.

There isn't much you will lose by not looking today.

When you feel social media fatigue, put down your smartphone, get some sleep, talk to someone, or eat a meal. In my case, I sometimes open my production screen.

That doesn't mean all your worries will disappear.

Even if you close social media, real-world problems remain.

However, you can choose not to add any more stimulation.

Social media is a place where you can meet people and deliver your work. I myself have met many people here and had them learn about the activities of Project Alive.

It's just that you don't have to force yourself to keep watching on days when your heart is tired.

The posts you missed today might show up again, or they might not.

Even so, the timeline will be moving again tomorrow.

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