If you go to any of the best hospitals in Pakistan to get your mental health checked, they will tell you that all of our youth are suffering from a disease and that disease is called social media. There is no doubt in the fact that social media has taken over our daily lives. Tell me honestly, can you imagine your life without scrolling through your newsfeed every five minutes? The answer will be a big no for most people including myself.
Social media is like an upside-down world of stranger things. It’s like the same world like ours, the exact replica but much darker and cold. People get trapped there, there can be some toxic people which spread negativity and can control your mind like the mind flayer. But if you are strong enough, you can get out of there and stop letting it control your mind. Â
Sending a streak on Snapchat feels more obligatory than our actual jobs. No one forgets to send a streak and if someone misses it and breaks the streak, it almost feels like heartbreak. But these streaks are proof that our generation can be consistent, but only for the things, we are interested in.
Posting a story on Instagram before doing literally anything is a new social norm. People feel left out if they don’t post anything on social media, it gives the impression to others that you have no life. Using Instagram and Twitter can make you famous, if you have a good following you will feel like a celebrity with a lot of online fans. This is a kind of an addiction, that is why the best hospitals in Pakistan with mental health services call it a disease.
How is it affecting our creativity?
Whether many people think of themselves as creative by using different apps like Inshot and editing their pictures, stories, and videos. We surely can call this creativity because it does demand some time and neatness, the choice of shots and songs to play in the background. But let us all admit that many of us have abandoned our hobbies because we are so addicted to social media now.
Some of us used to paint or draw in our adolescent years, some of us liked to cook, and some of us liked to read books. But very few people still follow their hobbies, after the grind of nine to five everyone needs some relaxation and everyone seeks that relaxation by scrolling social media aimlessly. But the truth is, instead of making you feel relaxed it disrupts your mental peace and makes you more anxious.
All of us have slowly forgotten what else we could do if we didn’t waste our time on social media this much. We all love to see the creative videos of other people, but we never try them ourselves. We abandon our own hobbies to see other people making money out of their hobbies and skills, and this makes us more anxious.  Â
Let’s see what else we could do instead of social media and how it can help us improve our mental health and life quality.
Go for a walk
All the best hospitals in Pakistan recommend walking to everyone as we all know it’s good for health. Some of us do go for a walk sometimes, but we do that as a duty or obligation. We plug earphones in our ears and just start walking or running without looking here and there. This time try it just to observe your surroundings, without your mobile phone or internet maybe.
You will actually feel the good things happening around you, you will be able to appreciate nature. And You will allow other people to interact with you which was not possible before because you were always looking at your phone. You can make new friends and acquaintances.
Learn any art or skill
The psychologists from the best hospitals in Pakistan say that our lives have become monotonous, we have the same routine and we repeat it daily. Get up, go to work, come back, and scroll through social media, and sleep. Save your time and energy by cutting out the use of social media. In that time, learn something new, a musical instrument maybe.
Almost all of us wanted to play guitar during our school time. If you never had a chance to learn that, it’s still not too late. Invest your time in yourself, do something productive and just enjoy the process. If you cannot afford a proper class, then use Youtube for a healthy purpose. Instead of pointlessly watching random videos, watch the guitar lessons. You can learn something new, and then you can come back on social media to show off your new skill, which will make you feel good.
Try Interior decoration in your own home
We all see many photos and videos regarding interior decoration on social media. This is your time to apply all that knowledge and creativity to your own home. It doesn’t matter if your home is big or small, there is always room to make things better. First of all, fold that pile of clothes on the chair and clean your room. And then see how you can make the walls look pretty, maybe a picture wall, maybe put some fairy lights or a neon sign.
If you have a small lawn or a garden give home gardening a try, it can be super therapeutic. You can plant vegetables and fruits in your own home. Make little pots of little plants and place them in different windows in your house. They are natural decoration pieces, it will make you feel happy when you will see them growing, and it will be a healthy activity for you.
Take good care of your health
This is the most important thing you should do instead of scrolling through social media. We all have very unhealthy routines and we all take very unhealthy diets. First, visit any of the best hospitals in Pakistan to get yourself checked. Maintain a good sleeping cycle and eat healthy food.
Try some yoga or regular workout, take a couple of hours in a day for your health and give your eyes some rest. You will automatically start seeing things clearly. It will increase your productivity and the best part, you will look good and young.
