I believe the most important health is mental health. After all, if your mind is healthy, the rest of you usually follows… right?

Having said that, there is something that I have wanted to talk about for quite a while now but approaching the subject was very intimidating for some reason so, I am just going to put it out there…

Social media is bad for your health!

I said it.

I am a firm believer that (almost) everything in moderation is healthy, but the problem is that social media has started to run, and in some cases ruin, our lives.

This has become a problem for me personally. I am embarrassed to say how much time I spend thumbing through facebook, twitter and instagram when I should be spending quality time with my family. While I’m busy lurking in everyone else’s lives I have unknowingly neglected my own. I have a husband who would probably like to tell me about his day (should I ever bother to ask), a son who probably longs for me to just sit and play with him, and friends who undoubtedly would love to see me or hear my voice instead of trying to keep up with me through various news feeds.

It makes me wonder – has social media contributed to the demise of relationships? Are we becoming less at the hands of our obsession to know more? Do we have parents who need to see us more? Children who need our undivided attention? Husbands that want to curl up on the sofa and watch a movie? Friends who want to tell us about their week?

I feel as if we have started to rely too heavily on social media to tell us what our friends and family are up to. Personal interaction is quickly becoming nonexistent, don’t you think?

I know I’m not alone and hopefully by calling myself out some of you reading this will take inventory on your own lives. When I think about it, the only socially web related activity I truly enjoy is blogging. I never feel it is a burden or that I have to constantly monitor it. The Fortunate Plight and Sunny Slide Up are both forms of expression for me. It truly makes me happy to be able to sit down everyday and document my life and my thoughts….it’s more or less my gratitude journal.

So how do we fix this? What’s our call to action – our relationship saving plan?

Step Away.

Take a breather. Maybe shut it down for a few days or even weeks. Do whatever you feel is necessary to be the healthiest you can. Share this post with any loved ones you may have neglected or feel neglected by, let them know that they are more than just a number or a notch on your news feed, I’m sure they will feel appreciated!

Let’s take back our health and nurture our relationships for a while. Let’s call a friend we haven’t talk to in a few months and ask how they are. Let’s date our spouses. Let’s spend time with our children. Let’s get back to love.