There are times when you simply want to disappear. Sometimes, life gets too stressful with all its problems, and you just want to take a break. Breaks from social media are especially valid, as it’s often the cause of many people’s stress.

Many people take social media breaks from time to time, often unannounced and without explanation. There’s a recent positive trend in validating mental health issues without dismissive questions or doubt about their reality, and that’s great.

It’s a good thing that mental health issues are becoming more recognized in society, but this has led some people to simply disappear from social media without explanation. It’s understandable that sometimes you don’t want to tell people why you’re taking a break or need to disappear online as soon as possible.

Despite this, there is a case to be made for giving a heads-up when you’re going offline for a bit. Here are a few reasons why.

No Unexpected Disturbances In The Break

Are you in the middle of a conversation while your phone keeps sending messages? Unless you’re going to deactivate your accounts (in which case your friends may inform you of updates on other platforms), you might still receive messages or updates from people unaware of your break, which could disturb you while you’re trying to stay off social media.

Informing people, even just a small group of your closest confidants, will at least make them aware of your absence, and you’ll be less likely to receive messages that force you back onto social media.

No Up Loose Ends Of Responsibilities

A lot of work is done on social media, and it’s not enough to simply delete the apps on your phone and say that you’re done with your work or school responsibilities for now.

Informing people that you’re taking a social media break while wrapping up the tasks you currently have allows you to relax on your break stress-free, without worries in the back of your mind or your peers’ minds.

Your Absence Will Be Noticed

If you think that people won’t notice that you’re gone, you’re often mistaken. From random acquaintances you’ve only interacted with once to your closest friends, that digital space you occupy online will be noticed.

This is your reminder that you are seen, and it is better to inform those you care about of your absence.

Your Absence Won’t Make The World Stop

In a similar vein, just because you’ll be taking a break for a while doesn’t mean that the rest of the world will also do so. The world will keep turning every day (as the saying goes), and you’ll have to do your best to catch up on what you missed.

It’s okay to take breaks every once in a while, but that doesn’t mean you can make everything stop. If you tell people that you need a moment, you’ll have some time to pause before you get back up again and keep trying.

The world has changed greatly, and mental health is now an important topic of consideration. Taking breaks is now seen as valuable, and dismissing mental health is on a downward trend.

However, when taking a break, especially from social media, it’s probably for the best that you make it known that you’re taking a break. Sometimes, it’s good to just disappear for a while, but you’ll have a better break with fewer problems on your return if you don’t disappear without warning.