Debbie Does Push-ups! Day 13

64 Push-Ups + The Social Media Reality Check

Dear Diary, 

It’s Day 13 of the push-up for mental health challenge.  Today’s push-up target is 64, representing the 64% of people worldwide who use social media. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, “Social media can be a powerful tool for connection, creativity and support. It allows people to share experiences, express themselves, and access valuable resources across the globe. While social media can have benefits, too much screen time or negative online experiences can increase stress and contribute to mental health challenges. Striking a healthy balance helps protect your mental health.”

At first I wasn’t sure why this stat was included in the push-up challenge. But then it hit me.  We are very saturated with technology, which affects our mental health and is a big part of our every life. Phones. Notifications. Scrolling. Clicking. Comparing.  It’s one thing to scroll for no reason (guilty) and it’s another to be intentional about what we consume.  I love the funny stuff.  The yoga stuff.  The Pilates stuff.  The motivating stuff.  But the random guy from high school I never spoke to posting his breakfast and beard-trimming tutorials?  Not so much.  Delete. Sorry, dude.

Social media can be exhausting. The algorithms feed you more of what you click, and all of a sudden you’re 20 posts deep trying to figure out whether this work purse can also be your gym bag and  your lunch bag … or whether seeing a donkey instead of an angel says something about your childhood trauma.  Like… what?!  No wonder our brains feel overloaded. We’re bombarded with information all day long.  It becomes hard to tell what’s helpful, what’s noise, and what’s just draining.  (Yawn.)

But there is also good stuff! Seeing friends who live far away but you still love and miss. Keeping up with their kids, their dogs and their lives.  Finding out about events.  Marketing your business or blog (hi, and thanks for being here, probably from IG!).  Reconnecting with people or even meeting new ones. As today's quote above says, it really is about how we use it. It's always about the how in life isn't it. Balance.

My husband and I actually connected through Facebook. We met through family, but Facebook sealed the deal. He replied to a joke I posted, (surprise) I wrote back, we laughed for a bit, lol here, lol there, then he asked me out … and the rest is history.  So yes, thank you, Facebook.

And also, thank you not.  Because my account was hacked in the fall of 2024 and I've been locked out ever since. Yep, I was never was able to log back in. Ever.  Months of trying to contact Meta, emails, forms, zero success. The hacker added security codes, I got locked out, and that was that.  At first, I was very annoyed, losing access to pictures, albums etc. But then life without Facebook wasn’t a huge deal. Less doom scrolling, honestly kind of peaceful. But then you realize how many contacts live in Messenger.  Even something simple like messaging my cousin group for my wedding all of a sudden meant tracking down phone numbers again.  Ugh.  My old Facebook account still exists, I just can’t get into it. But I can see my albums from my husband's account so they're not totally lost. During the Facebook lock out madness, a client messaged me to cancel an appointment.  I never got it, so I showed up.  I decided to create a new account months later which meant all fresh contacts. 

Is your social media use leaving you feeling connected or drained?  What’s one small change you could make this week to bring it back into balance?  One thing I did in January as part of a studio challenge and my own goal was to not look at my phone 30 minutes before bed, so naturally no social media.  I typically would check my socials before bed for messages and plan my class playlists.  It's my way to wind down and to feel prepared for the next day.  Towards the end of the challenge, I started planning my playlists in bed again (but still no social media.).  For me, planning playlists is fun! It's intentional. I’ve kept the small change of no social media before bed (but planning my tunes, yes!).  I turn down my phone 30 minutes before bed and read for the last half hour of the day, along with my gratitude journal.  Small changes, big difference in falling asleep, staying asleep and in creating self-control instead of the phone (specifically social media and doom scrolling) taking control of me.  For the most part.

Speaking of taking control (sort of), I’m still congested.  I am still getting my push-ups in.  Not as many as I’m supposed to, and I’m honestly a bit annoyed that it’s taking longer than I want to get over this. But I’m still showing up. Still trying. Still sticking with it.  I know my mind and body are connected, so I’m working on being patient.  Hear me, body?  Let's go already.

Tonight I had a good meal, some meditation, stretching and my gratitude journal awaits. The snow’s coming, I’m tired, but we keep going.  Progress isn’t always fast or pretty.  Sometimes it’s just choosing not to quit today.

— Yoga Debb

Building strength, mindset, and real-life consistency; one breath at a time 💗