I spent 8 hours a day on social media

At my company, we pledge to refrain from personal activities during the eight-hour workday. Despite this, I found myself glued to my phone, compulsively checking Zalo and Facebook Messenger, responding to messages, engaging with friends' photos on Facebook, scrolling through TikTok reels, and online shopping—every half hour.

I naively believed these activities would only nibble at my time, leaving my work schedule undisturbed. This delusion persisted until a phone report highlighted a staggering increase in my social media engagement to seven hours and 58 minutes daily. That was the moment I acknowledged the significant impact this had on my work, which deserved my undivided attention for eight hours.

Reflecting on my behavior, I recognized my deep entanglement in the social media vortex—its sensational stories, glamorous images of celebrities, and my fixation on monitoring reactions to my posts. Social media became my outlet for venting frustrations, whether from disagreements with my boss, annoyances with colleagues, or everyday mishaps.

Interestingly, my social media activity intensified alongside my negative emotions, leading to a proliferation of pessimistic posts. These posts often garnered significant agreement, further amplifying my discontent. This cycle made me realize how social media, with its barrage of negative stimuli, had sidelined my real-life experiences, potentially steering me toward depression.

I really hope to receive advice on overcoming my social media addiction to rediscover the beauty of real-life experiences.