Social media has become an inevitable part of everyday life. From catching up with friends and family to learning the news, social media platforms are the go-to source for information, entertainment, and connection.
While these platforms can offer benefits, they can also negatively affect mental health if not properly managed. Social media can be an immense source of stress and anxiety if you don’t take active steps to protect your mental well-being.
Additionally, frequent users of social media among females showed lower life satisfaction and happiness and higher levels of anxiety compared to the other participants.
Here are some ways to keep your mental health in check when using social media so you don’t feel overwhelmed by your online experiences.
Think before you post
Always think before you post. It’s all too easy to respond quickly to something without taking the time to think about how your post might make others feel or how it reflects on your identity. Before posting anything, think about the potential consequences. Additionally, be mindful of the content you consume. If seeing certain posts is too much for your mental health, take a break.
When you post, ask yourself:
- Is this something I want to remember for the rest of my life?
- Who will see this, and what will they think of me?
- What if someone posted this about me? How would I feel?
Limit how much time you spend online
Limit the amount of time you spend online. While it can be tempting to check social media throughout the day, it’s important to set boundaries and stick to them to avoid feeling overwhelmed or anxious.
You can do this by setting time limits for using social media and refraining from checking your accounts during work or family time. Additionally, taking social media breaks can be beneficial, such as setting aside a few days a week or a month to not use it at all. Being mindful of your online usage and setting limits can help you maintain a healthy and balanced relationship with social media.
During breaks, go for a walk outside and get some fresh air, or read a book instead of scrolling through social media for hours. However, if you want to use social media but still maintain your mental health, limiting how much time you spend online is one effective way.
Know that social media doesn’t always reflect reality
Social media is a curated version of reality. That means you only see what people want to show you, not the full story. For example, people may share enhanced photos that don’t accurately represent what’s happening in their lives. This can make you feel like everyone else’s life is better than yours and even feel jealous or resentful toward the so-called “perfect” lives displayed on social media. Understand this about social media, and remember it’s not always as it seems.
You can control what you see
You can also take steps to control your social media usage. You can choose which notifications you get, unfriend people you don’t want to see, and block accounts that make you feel bad. If specific posts or hashtags are triggering for you, it may be worth unfollowing that account altogether, so their content doesn’t appear in your feed.
It’s also possible to mute certain searches on Instagram or set up private accounts so that only people who follow a certain hashtag can see your posts. You could also use a third-party app that allows users to block notifications from specific apps while allowing access at other times.
Don’t let your self-worth be defined by your social media popularity
Social media can make you feel like your life is less than what it is in reality. You may have a great job, supportive friends and family members, and a loving partner, but when you scroll through Instagram or Facebook, everyone else’s lives may seem so much better than yours.
The truth is that social media popularity doesn’t equal self-worth. Your friends’ “likes” are not an accurate representation of how much they care about you as a person. They’re more likely influenced by the content you’re posting (such as pictures of puppies) than anything else. Don’t let others define your worth for you. Be happy with who you are.
Social media is here to stay, and with a little mindfulness, you can ensure it doesn’t negatively affect your mental health. If you need help managing your social media use, plenty of apps and tools are available to help you do so. Use them to improve your social media experience.