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Wellness

How to Create a Healthy Relationship with Social Media

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 Merrimack chapter.

Social Media has been on the rise for many years and in most people’s lives. Stretching from Instagram to TikTok, it has become a toxic relationship for many people, including myself. Many of the issues social media can cause are body dysmorphia, FOMO, jealousy, and envy over someone. I have found that with different methods, I can enjoy scrolling on TikTok or Instagram without having the feeling that “that should be me”.

These methods include having the mentality that you are yourself, and that it is impossible to look like the people online. Many posts from influencers put out false images of bodies that are edited to look at what society puts out as the perfect body. For years, I have struggled with understanding why my body doesn’t look like these influencers and why can’t I achieve it. This led me to develop unhealthy relationships with working out, food, and just myself overall. It took work to see that I needed to work out in the right way, eat the right foods, and trust myself to allow myself to be comfortable in my body. 

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You may also practice mindful usage. Make sure you are in the right headspace before watching videos you know can make you upset. Educating yourself can also lead you to see how you can create the perfect image of what YOU want to look like. It takes hard work and time but may result in finally being able to love who you are.

A final method is finding the right ways to allow you to give yourself a healthy relationship with your body. Putting yourself first and making sure you are taken care of will only benefit you in ways no one else can. Finding who you are and what makes you unique will give you a better relationship with not only yourself but friends, family, and social media.

Ailish Murray

Merrimack '27

I’m Ailish. I am a sophomore at Merrimack College. I am currently majoring in communications and media with a minor in psychology. I’m so excited to be continuing to promote her campus at Merrimack. Some things I enjoy is spending time with my friends, dogs (especially labs and golden retrievers), going to the beach and watching movies.