Social Media is taking over our lives, whether we love it or hate it. Personally, I love social media but at times I can get quite overwhelmed by it. There are a LOT of positives of technology these days and whilst this is great and encouraging, sometimes it can contribute so a lot of mental health issues. I wanted to focus on social media anxiety as I feel some of these tips can be incorporated into our days to help combat some of the negatives.
Follow People On Social Platforms You Admire
Don’t just follow anyone on Instagram or Twitter. Follow people that inspire you and motivate you to live your best life. Make sure the people you are following portray a truthful message and promote believes you are passionate in. Ditch the negative people and focus on the positive ones! Remember also that people only post what they WANT you to see. This may NOT be their REAL life! Self-comparing to the “perfect image” is just not healthy.
Cut Off Time For Technology
I’ve recently tried not looking at Twitter and Instagram just before bed time. Sometimes looking at and replying to text messages can stress me out in the evening. My brain gets overactive with the thoughts and I then don’t sleep well which leads to even more increased anxiety. Instead, choosing a time to not look at your phone can be a great help. I get my boyfriend to check my phone for me just before bed in case there is anything important to look at. I would definitely recommend nominating someone for this!
Be In The Present
Try not to go on your phone every second of the day. Dedicate your time and attention to the people you are spending time with. People that look at phones and laptops at meal times annoy me. I’m not saying the occasional text and Google at dinner is bad but it’s when people don’t look up from their screens. Don’t be that person in the street that walks into someone because they are too busy looking at their phone to notice the real world!
Put Your Phone In Another Room
I’ve started doing this for an hour sometimes to totally distance myself from social anxiety. When on my laptop, I can choose which internet tabs I have on display. This is a great way of feeling a little weight has lifted off your mind. You can probably still hear your phone but knowing that it isn’t right next to you makes a MASSIVE difference when a text message comes through.
Have A Digital Detox
This can be a hard one for some people (including me who needs it for my blog). However, if this is attenable for you then why not have a little detox from social platforms for a week? Obviously, I am not saying don’t look at your phone as there might be important emails, phone calls and texts but limiting your usage can be so uplifting.
Live The Simple Life
Before we all had phones and laptops, we were actually still able to exist! We read books, played board games, talked more and did more activities such as picnics and walks. Why not try having a “simpler” day once a week to try and distract yourself from any social media anxiety?
Do you have any other tips to help? Please leave them in the comments below!
