Social media has become a huge part of our lives. It is the first thing we check when we wake up and the last thing we look at before we go to bed. But does interacting with social media hurt our mental health?
A recent study published by the Journal of Mental Health found that social media does affect our mental health. Whether they are negative or positive effects, the impact is determined by how the user is using the platform. Finding a balance and developing healthy habits when using it is essential for ensuring it has a positive impact on your lives.
Here are a few ways you can have a Social Media Detox for a Positive Mindset
1. Set Limits!
We often find ourselves using whatever free time we have to open our social media and take a look at what others are up to. It is quick and does not require any thinking. As such, it has become second nature for us to compare our lives with the ones we keep seeing. If our life does not look as exciting as theirs, we make ourselves feel bad for it and this can be toxic. The first thing you need to do is to limit your use of social media. You can limit yourself by setting the amount of time you will spend on social media every day. This will allow you to focus on yourself more and do things for your self-growth.
2. Curate Your Following List
We overestimate others happiness and accomplishments online. This can become unhealthy for us as we would feel like we are not doing enough with our lives. Nobodys’ life is perfect and we should follow the ones who show us the reality of their lives instead of always posting a false and edited reality. Unfollow those who make you feel like you are not doing enough and follow those who are creative, aim to inspire people to be their best and use social media as a platform to spread positivism.
3. Think Before You Post
Think before posting! But do post. Innovate stuff! Share your creative ideas. Make videos, blogs, or photograph things that you love to do. Share with the world the cake you baked for your friend, or a painting that you made, or a song that you sang along to your guitar. You can enjoy Social media when it shares a passion and connects people. Just like how you want to follow people who inspire you, you too should aim to be as raw and real as you can to your audience and inspire them by sharing your passion and being authentic.
4. Keep your Mental Health First
If you are someone who has to stay active on social media for any reason, then we understand that receiving notifications and messages constantly can be overwhelming. A social media hiatus is alright to take sometimes. Nothing should be above your mental health and you should not have to feel forced to use any social media no matter how popular it is. If it makes you feel stressed, then perhaps you could think about deleting apps that you do not need or taking a break from social media, or even something as small as turning off the notifications so you have the control to check the alerts whenever you really want to.
Some other tips you could use for Detoxing your mind from Social media are:
- Don’t take electronics to bed
- Set a reminder on the app to let you know how long you have been on it.
- Replace social media apps with another activity such as reading, listening to music, playing games or learning a new skill.
It’s difficult to live without social media these days, but we can limit our usage. Share your passions, set smart limits, and use social media for real-life socializing and other concrete purposes. This way you can make social media healthier.
