How to Use Social Media Sustainably
It is no surprise how much social media has contributed to our daily lives. I mean how are you even reading this right now? These apps and platforms have become crucial ways to spread information, stay in touch with loved ones, and share snippets of our lives with each other. On the flip side, social media has also been known to cause a lot of harm to our mental health due to FOMO (the fear of missing out), external validation, and constantly comparing ourselves to each other. Furthermore, it is very pertinent that we take note of how we handle social media and how to use it in a way that is responsible and sustainable to our mental health. Here are a few tips you can consider the next time you want to use your favorite platforms.
Be mindful of your social media diet.
Your social media diet consists of who you follow and the general posts that appear on your feed. You should always be very particular and selective of what you want to view. For example, if a certain post or account you follow makes you feel lonely, insecure, or other negative emotions, it would be best to remove them and keep the content you consume to media that makes you feel good about yourself. As many of you know, the algorithms on social media platforms curate the content it presents you based on your activity. You can use this to your advantage so that every time you open social media, it can inspire you and lift your mood rather than bringing it down.
Reduce the amount of time you spend on social media.
According to Syracuse University, research has been shown that overconsumption of social media can lead to superficial relationships, lower self-esteem, and social isolation. For the sake of your mental wellness, it cannot be stressed enough how important it is to restrict yourself from the amount of social media you consume. Make sure to set boundaries on your social media apps whether it be muting some of your notifications or setting time limits. By doing so, you are less likely to stay on these platforms for prolonged periods of time and focus more on what is happening around you rather than on your phone.
Remember how curated social media can be.
One of the things many of us forget when it comes to social media is how calculated a lot of it is. While it is inevitable that we will compare ourselves to people who may look like they have better lifestyles and experiences, we have to remember how carefully each post was thought out and selected to make it seem that way. Social media tends to only focus on highlights of people’s lives rather than everything. Comparing yourself to an idealized version of someone else’s life will almost never make you feel better. Instead, you can focus on your own achievements and ways you can improve your current circumstances if you are unhappy with them.
Set boundaries of when you use social media.
Just as it is important to be mindful of how much time you spend on social media, you should also be careful when you use it. Some times during the day that would be best to avoid reaching for social media include in the morning and at night. Social media being the first thing you use right when you wake up can immediately make you more stressed and overstimulate your brain. This can also apply before you go to bed as it could ruin your chances of getting quality sleep. During these times, some alternatives to social media can be slow activities such as reading a book, meditating, or listening to music. This is a given but you should also avoid social media when doing activities that require focus such as studying or homework. This can really be a distraction and affect the quality and time it takes for you to complete these tasks. Instead, only use social media during your breaks to maximize your focus.
Focus only on quality interactions.
Many people get caught up in likes and comments when it comes to social media as we often see these small interactions as a way to validate ourselves and make us feel better. However, how other people react to our online persona is an inaccurate way to measure our worth. Though it may feel great in the moment, relying too deeply on things like this can ultimately make us feel insecure and lose confidence whenever it is not there. Nevertheless, not all features from social media are necessarily bad such as calling others or sharing posts. Rather than dwelling on buttons people click on our profiles, we can instead have more meaningful interactions with others whether it be catching up on video calls or sharing content that may have valuable or positive information. By doing so, this can also make us feel less socially isolated and more connected to the people we love.
In short, though social media is an excellent tool for communication, it also can have the power to harm our mental health and make us feel not good enough. However, with a few small adjustments to our online habits, we can easily change how social media affects us and make our times on these apps all the more enjoyable. As long as we are more conscientious and aware of how each of us utilize social media, all the power is in our hands to control social media’s impact on our lives and emotions rather than having it control us.
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