We’ve all heard that social media can take a toll on our mental health.
The trouble is that we don’t always know what it looks like to have healthy social media habits. Social media is so ingrained in our daily lives that not using social media constantly is almost seen as taboo.
I’ve personally come to the point where I feel burnt out from social media. I’m simply overwhelmed by how much information there is to consume. It seems like people are doing things just to post about them on social media, and that doesn’t feel right to me.
I’ve never felt the urge to delete everything completely, but I have felt the need to step away from it all. That being said, the Netflix show You did make me consider getting as far away from social media as possible and never talking to a stranger again.
In this post, I’m sharing some ideas to help you use social media in a healthy way and build healthy social media habits.
The Negatives & Positives of Social Media
Sometimes I think back to the days when Instagram stories didn’t even exist and podcasts were barely a thing. I consumed so much less back then and my mind was definitely a healthier place. My old soul longs for the simpler days when I didn’t even have access to the internet on my Motorola Razr. Back then, the only way to access social media (aka Myspace) was at home on a computer
I know that there are positives to social media. For me, a huge positive is being able to connect with people I wouldn’t have met otherwise. I’ve been able to talk to and meet up with incredible people who have similar interests and passions. I’ve been able to keep up with the lives of my cousins who live in different countries, and I’ll never forget the day when Kehlani posted on Snapchat that she liked my blog.
Social media (or more accurately, the people on social media) can provide us with inspiration, new ideas, and different ways of thinking. There are also the memes and Vine compilations that make you laugh until you cry.
But the comparison part is not fun. Social media can feel so highly curated and people tend to only share their highlight reels. Even though I know this, it can feel like my life is not as fun or put together as others seem. There’s also pressure to stay relevant by posting often, and that’s not fun either.
That’s why it’s important to build healthy social media habits to avoid those not-so-fun parts. Life is happening outside of social media after all.
Related Post: 5 Key Elements of a Healthy Mindset
5 Tips for Healthy Social Media Habits
If you need to reevaluate your relationship with social media but don’t want to quit cold turkey, here are some tips for healthier social media habits:
1. Use the screentime option
I have my downtime set from 12 pm-5 pm on weekdays. Things like phone calls, texts, and music are always allowed, but I’ve put this time limit on all social media apps on my phone including Instagram, Youtube, Twitter, and Pinterest.
That means I don’t get notified during those times, and I’m not opening those apps on autopilot like I used to. I also don’t check social media first thing in the morning which has improved my peace of mind.
2. Turn off notification alerts
If I get a notification, I’m going to click on it. Even if I’m doing something important, I still feel the urge to check on the notification. To stop the constant distractions, I turned off notification alerts on my phone for any of my social media apps.
If I happen to check the app during the day, I’ll see the notification and deal with it then. I know there are plenty of people who can’t deal with missing something, but I am not one of those people (and you can become that person too if you let yourself).
3. Add a feed blocker to Chrome
I have the News Feed Eradicator for Facebook Chrome extension on my computer which shows me a quote on the homepage instead of the news feed. This means I only go on Facebook to check notifications and messages instead of scrolling or getting distracted by random posts.
4. Take advantage of the mute button
Instagram and Twitter both have the option to mute people, and Facebook has the option to unfollow. This is a really helpful option if you want to reduce the noise on your feed without unfollowing people (which can feel super awkward). Sometimes I go through and mute almost everyone I follow just so that I can be on social media without so much noise.
Also, stop following anyone who makes you compare your life to theirs. And quit checking who viewed your Instagram story for the sake of your sanity.
5. Only post if you have something to share
When I first started blogging, Instagram wasn’t a huge part of anyone’s content strategy. The main places to connect with blog readers were a) emails b) comments and c) Twitter. Times have changed and I’ve felt this huge pressure to constantly be sharing.
I don’t want to be sharing for the sake of staying relevant. I want to share because I have something I want to share. This one has been really hard to grapple with because I feel guilty for not posting much on Instagram, but it also means my sanity is preserved just a little bit more.
Bonus tip: Turn off social media cellular use
I don’t have an unlimited data plan on my phone so this one is more of a practical suggestion to avoid fees, but I turned off the option to use Instagram (one of the biggest data-suckers) and YouTube on cellular. That way, I have to be on WiFi in order to use those apps. This means I can’t be mindlessly scrolling on them while I’m out and about.
Related Post: How To Do A Mindset Detox
Which healthy social media habits do you have?
I hope this post has encouraged you to make some changes if you’ve been feeling uninspired by the world of social media. If you want to take action right now, choose one of the tips that I shared and set it up before you forget.
13 Responses
I enjoyed this blog. I’ve started to realize how often I’m on social media. I like the idea of turning off notice verifications.
I loved your post on finding a healthy balance with social media . As you mentioned, I try very hard to only post when I have something real to say that my clients or others might benefit from. Even my running posts have a message, something I’ve learned from the road that day, that can speak to anyone. It’ s good to hear that other bloggers and small business owners feel similarly about finding the right balance between business building, posting, and sanity! Thanks much. Atara
The main reason I have social media is the chat option (people ask where my office is, as I don’t have social media business pages, and so on). Also, MEMES.
But lately I’ve been tired, physically (poor neck) and mentally. So I enabled only the chat notifications, which appear as a cute small ball on the screen :)
Loved the idea to mute people. Didn’t know I could do this! Thank you.
Wow, it’s so crazy that you shared this post with us today! These past few days, I’ve been really wanting to detach from social media and use it for fun and not so much as business. As a blogger myself, as well as an indie author, I oftentimes feel FORCED to write a post, a clever caption, or snap a pretty photo of myself when all I really want to do is curl up and read a good book or write about something I’m really passionate about. I really enjoyed this post — thank you.
Thank you for this post. This is so interesting to me! As a new blogger, I definitely feel myself putting more and more timing in on social media, which is ironic when you’re blogging about mindfulness and being in the moment. It’s definitely hard to find a balance but I really like the strategies that you suggested and I’m definitely going to try some of them myself. Thanks for the tips!
Hi Catherine! Thank you for this mind opening blog. This has helped me to recognize how much social media has become intertwined into my life. I often do not realize how much it is affecting me negatively. The truth is a lot of important tasks gets put off, because of a lot of time spent on social media, which lessens my level of productivity for a given day. Sometimes, I really need to take a break and just unwind. Use that time to meditate or get work done, but I operate an online business and so I utilize social media a lot for customer interaction and retention. Also, I attend College and so this is how I communicate re group assignments, etc. I know I need a balance, but I can’t just shut my phone off or hide notifications, so how do you suggest I balance this?
P.S. I would really love to hear your response.
Hi Romona! Since I also run an online business, I can relate to feeling like you need to be on it all the time. I would recommend setting specific times that you check social media just to respond to customers (and use it for that only, rather than scrolling other people’s posts). It can feel like you need to be there at all times, but it’s also important to set boundaries with customers and perhaps suggest talking things over via email instead of social all the time. For group chats, I think you also just have to set boundaries for yourself around when you will check notifications. Most things are not urgent and sometimes you just have to remind yourself of that :)
Thank you for this article. I felt so overwhelmed with the posts I have to publish to get connected with my audience. It is exhausting and I like your tips. The social media is very addicting and I just need to balance my time.
OMG Catherine!! That FB chrome extension is life changing!!! And it lead me to find one for YouTube as well! I didn’t even know this was possible. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Haha yessss, you’re welcome, Daniella!
“Sometimes I think back to the days when Instagram stories didn’t even exist and podcasts were barely a thing. I consumed so much less back then and my mind was definitely a healthier place. The old-soul in me longs for the simpler days when I didn’t even have access to the internet on my Motorola Razr.”
Yesssssss. One hundred percent agree. Sometimes I worry about what technology is doing to our brains because we are so connected, so engaged, constantly moving, all the time.
It’s crazy to think how much has changed in such a short time!
I enjoy reading your blogs. It’s part of my Sunday ritual now. I can always relate. Thank you for sharing amazing blogs.