You see a beautiful sight in nature, and the first thing you think of doing is posting a pic to Instagram. Something great happens in your life or vice versa, and you have the urge to tweet the details. This is something everyone does, and it is a struggle to unplug and not post it.

Social media is a great way for people to stay connected and to stay up to date on what is happening around the world, especially during this time of social distancing. However, social media and our technology are very addicting, and many end up checking their phones over 30 times a day. It’s difficult to find balance between real life and technology.

For me, the real problem with social media is the facade people hide behind when posting. People sharing their lives has become second nature, but these posts only show what the influencer wants you to see. People tend to post only the highlight reels of their lives. Social media is making it hard for people to be real. Social media can be great at times, but it would be better if people’s posts actually showed what is genuine and imperfect in their own lives – instead of what makes them look good.

These are things everyone does, including myself. There were times I would spend so much time on my phone that I would miss what is happening in real life. Unfortunately, unplugging is not easy; it’s hard work. Here are some tips I use to help limit the time I spend on social media.

• Have social media detox days.
• Take pics in the moment but post later on.
• Make space for yourself with your phone turned off, or at least turn off notifications.
• Make it a challenge to post with a purpose. Do I really need to post this? Why am I posting this?