Social Media and Our Overall Well-Being

Have you ever caught yourself acting differently because of something you saw on social media? I sure have. In fact, I’m convinced there’s a direct link between our behaviors and what scrolls across our screens.

For me, it often starts innocently, like seeing the same advertisement on repeat until it burrows into my brain. Suddenly, I’m convinced I need whatever they’re selling. Never mind the fact that five days ago, I had zero desire for it. Yet here I am, falling victim to the “limited-time offer,” buying products that end up sitting somewhere in my home collecting dust.

Let me give you an example. Recently, an ad for tights that look like real skin tone showed up on my feed… once. Then again. Then what felt like four hundred more times. I started thinking, Hmm, maybe these would be cute for fall. Next thing I know, I didn’t purchase one pair, oh no, I bought two before even trying the first pair on.

Now you might be wondering: Okay, but what does this have to do with my overall well-being?Stay with me.

That one purchase wasn’t the issue. But many small, unnecessary purchases over time? That’s a financial snowball rolling downhill. Suddenly, our spending, savings, and stress levels are impacted — all because of targeted ads we didn’t even ask for. Social media can quietly influence our wallets in ways we don’t notice until later.

Let's talk about mental health and social media.

How many times have you come across a post that left you irritated…or sad…or comparing your life to someone else’s? We don’t always think about these moments, but they stack up. The comments section alone is enough to chip away at anyone's peace if you linger too long.

Before social media, life was different. We talked to people face-to-face. We lingered at family gatherings instead of recording them. We read books, played outside, explored our neighborhoods, and connected in ways that felt real and nourishing. Again, I don’t think social media is all bad. There is a lot of good that comes from it. Awareness. Community. Creativity. New ideas. New recipes (I don’t love cooking, but I absolutely love trying a new recipe). Updates about events in my city. New places to visit. Endless inspiration.

But I recently noticed something that made me pause.

My daughters and I took my grandkids to an indoor adventure play area. Kids were running, laughing, climbing … the usual. But what caught my attention was the adults. They weren’t sitting in corners, glued to their phones. They were actually talking to each other, laughing, connecting. Without alcohol. Without TikTok breaks. Just being present.

Later that day, we wandered through IKEA, and again, people were engaged. Walking around. Interacting. Living. I realized… outside of work and errands, I hadn’t done that in a while.

I used to convince myself I stayed home to “save money.” Well, that hasn’t exactly been working out for me. After some honest self-evaluation, I realized the truth: too much social media and too much screen time have slowly been eating away at my mental, emotional, and even financial well-being.

So today, I’m doing something bold.

I’m challenging myself to one full year with no social media.

Yes. A whole year.

We love to wait for January first to make big declarations, but I said, Why wait? If something needs to change, let it start now.

And because I’m clearly in my transformation era, I’m also doing a no-spend year, buying only necessities. My goal? To save more, pay off debt, write more, and give my time and energy back to real-life connections and new dreams. I want to spend more time with my family and friends, tap into my creativity, and even start a new business.

And I want you to join me.

You don’t have to do a full no-spend or no-social-media year. (Unless you want to, then hey — let’s do this together!) But I will be documenting this journey, and I’d love your support and accountability along the way.

I’ll journal throughout the week and post at least one article each month as a check-in. This is my reset … maybe even my reboot. And I’m inviting you to follow along, cheer me on, or join the challenge yourself.

Here’s to doing less scrolling… and a whole lot more living a Purely Beautiful Life.

Social Media vs. Well-Being