Social media may have begun as a way to keep up with friends and share what’s going on in our lives, but let’s face it: it’s taken on a few different roles. Social media has not only become a platform to find power in our voice and finding community, but it’s also become a place where we obsessively think about how we appear to others. It’s fairly easy to reach a point where social media doesn’t feel good anymore. In an era where followers and likes are treated as a commodity, it can be easy to fall into bad habits like constantly checking your phone, dishonest posting, or false displays of success and wellness. This isn’t realistic or healthy. One’s relationship with social media can have a lasting effect on mental health, productivity, creativity and more. Here’s a quick guide to help you build a healthy relationship with social media!
Step One: Recognize how social media makes you feel.
Photo by @crazyheadcomics
They say that the first step is always the hardest and that rings true in this situation because the creation of any kind of healthy relationship requires a bit of self-reflection. You need to take a realistic look at how what you see on social media makes you feel. Identify the things that make you feel bad or upset. Recognize if you are using social media as a distraction from larger issues. Evaluate how your social media use affects other aspects of your life such as your sleeping schedule, your productivity, or how you view your body. Also, consider the amount of time you spend on social media a day. This is an imperative step because it requires you to closely look at the role social media plays in your everyday life and determine if your relationship with social media is healthy or if it needs some work.
Step Two: Make a few cuts.
Art by @adameli
After reflection comes the part where you well acquainted with the “Unfollow”, “Mute”, or “Block” buttons on your respective social media sites. This includes but isn’t limited to: brands and companies that only have models that don’t reflect what everyday people look like, influencers who promote unhealthy diet culture, even distant acquaintances. Try not to feel guilty about ridding your feeds of these accounts. You won’t be missing anything of value if it wasn’t beneficial to you in the first place. This step not only rids your feelings of negativity, but it could also shorten your feed and keep you from scrolling aimlessly.
Step Three: Curate a more positive timeline
Now that you’ve gotten rid of content you don’t feel is beneficial, it’s time to fill those spaces with positive reinforcements. We must recognize that we are in control of everything we see on social media. If we want to create a more positive experience, it’s well within our power. Use this as an opportunity to follow accounts that are affirming, inspirational, or positive. Follow influencers who don’t sugarcoat their lives with unrealistic or superficial expectations. You can even fill that space with animal accounts! Only intake content that helps you achieve your current goals and will push you in a more positive direction. Taking control of what you view not only improves your feeds, but it also improves your mental health.
Step Four: Take social media breaks.
Art by @hallithbates
Like any other relationship, we must take breaks sometimes. We live in a time where social media can demand all our attention, but that doesn’t mean we have to give it all of our attention. Delete the apps the demand your too much or your attention. Take time to respond to things going on in the outside world for a bit. You can even set up “phone-free zones” to limit your everyday use. These periods of rest are imperative for giving yourself mental and emotional breaks. It’s also important that while you are trying to build a healthy relationship with social media, you don’t neglect your relationships in the real world. Take these breaks often and use this time for self-care and other modes of personal development.
Step Five: Repeat these steps often.
Things change. Our goals and aspirations change along with our thoughts and feelings. I recommend repeating these steps fairly often as a way to keep your relationship with social media healthy and to regularly reflect on how the use of social media affects our mental health. Since social media plays such an integral role in our lives, the main goal of all of this is to make sure that it’s doing more help than harm. Closely evaluating how you feel with social media not only ensures that our accounts stay positive and healthy, it also ensures that our mental states do as well.