The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bryant chapter.
Nowadays, social media is everywhere, and there have been a lot of recent studies on how it can negatively impact people’s lives. Social media can lead to an increase in depression, anxiety, loneliness, and self-harm. Here are a few ways to not let social media negatively impact your life:
- Limit Your Time on Social Media: One way to not let it negatively impact your life is to limit your time on social media. On average people spend 2 hours and 27 minutes a day on social media. Give yourself a limit to how much time you can spend on social media. There is a phone setting that alerts us when we have reached our limit for the day. This may be a good way to start.
- Don’t go on Social Media First Thing in the Morning or Right Before Bed: The first thing people tend to reach for in the morning and the last thing we tend to look at right before bed is our phones. Being on social media isn’t the best way to start or end the day. Alternatively, you could journal or meditate. This is a good way to relax. Journaling or meditating can also be a better use of time when taking a break, compared to going on social media.
- Turn Off Notifications: When a notifications pop up on your phone, you tend to look at it. By turning off notifications, you are not tempted to go on social media as often. Choose the times you go on social media and not every time you get a notification.
- Unfollow the People that you Unhealthy Compare Yourself to: Do not feel bad for unfollowing people that don’t make you feel good. It is important that you follow people that make you happy such as your friends and family. It is okay not to follow every person you go to school with.
- Follow Mental Health Positive Social Media Pages: Some positive social media pages on Instagram included happystrokes.inc, seekforpositivity, thegoodquote, and weratedogs. These are examples of positive quotes, daily reminders, tips to love yourself, and fun pictures of dogs.
Overall, there are a lot of ways to not let social media have a negative effect on your life. These are a few tips to keep social media healthy and allow you to continue to connect with friends and family.