When Is It Time To Take A Break From Social Media?

I am not against social media. It's quite the opposite, really. I love it! I have several friends who I don't get to see on a regular basis and I enjoy looking through the pictures they post. In a weird way, it helps me to feel a sense of connection, when more than 1,000 miles of geography separate us.  I don't, however, enjoy seeing pictures of people's food, but that's besides the point. (But really, why do I want to see a picture of your dinner?)  I do believe, though, that social media can become addictive in all the wrongs ways. I've seen too many fall head first into a sea of insecurities due to the influence of social media. And let's be real, I know I'm not the only one that can fall down that rabbit hole. And if this is you, it may be time to take a break.

How do you know when it's time to take a break from Social Media?                                

Here are some indicators:

1. Within 30 seconds of walking in your front door, your computer is already flipped open, because in your 15-minute commute home from work, you may have missed someone's Facebook status update.
2. You find yourself checking your phone while you're out running errands. After every store, you sit in your car and look at the latest social media activity before pulling out of the parking lot.
3. You feel like crap about your social life (or lack thereof) after looking at photos of friends from Friday night, wondering why you didn't get invited.
4. You obsessively stalk cute guys, whom you've never met, trying to figure out where they hang out, based on their social media activity. Then, you "accidentally" run into them.
5. You have 1,948 friends but you've only met 10 of them face to face.
6. You incessantly reload your social media account after posting a picture of yourself, or updating your status, wondering why only 7 people have "liked" it. After all, it's already been 5 minutes!
7. You make up witty comments in your head while driving, for the sole purpose of tweeting them when you get to a red light. Then you do #1, #2, and #6 to see what chatter you've generated.

Again, social media is not bad. In actuality, it can be really fun. Just be careful.              

You are more than a status update.