Many of us spend enough time on social media to know that it can sometimes have an adverse impact on our mental health, even going as far as affecting mood, self-esteem, anxiety and depression. So what can we do if we start to feel that our social media use is becoming a focal point of negativity?
Whether it’s checking the news, our notifications or keeping up-to-date with family, friends, social groups or networking, there is no doubt that social media has many affirming qualities that entertain or keep us connected — it especially comes into its own during pandemics when we’re at home socially isolating for public health.
It’s natural for us to seek out companionship and like-minded people to socialize with as it helps prevent loneliness, improves our happiness and boosts our mental health. Connections are important, and aside from physical interaction, social media can be a useful tool to create and/or maintain those relationships. If, however, you start to feel that using it has become detrimental, it may be time to take care of your social media health …
Take A Social Media Vacation | Every now and then it’s a good idea to completely take time away from social media for an extended period of time. Aim for at least a weekend or, better yet, a full week off so you can do some self-care, spend time with those around you (if that’s safe to do so), catch up on things you enjoy doing, etc. Give yourself the chance for a mental reset by taking a social media vacation a few times a year or as needed.
Reduce Time Online | Take a careful, honest look at how long on average you spend using social media a day and then reduce it by a third. Make this your new routine and you’ll see how much more time you have to do other things — which doesn’t have to be centred around productivity, you can rest too. Set an alarm, make a timetable, turn your devices off at a certain point each day — do whatever works for you to reduce your time online — and you might find you have more energy, better concentration and a healthier mentality that helps you deal with everyday stresses.
Adopt An Alternative Habit | We all reach for our phones to mindlessly scroll through our social media, apps and other online delights when we’re bored, zoning out from watching the tv or in-between tasks. For many — yes, I’m looking at myself here as well — it’s the go-to thing to do to fill time when we could choose something else to help us relax or entertain ourselves with. Instead of reaching for your phone, grab a book to read, chat to someone, make a cup of tea, listen to some music, try out a board game, play with your partner, kids or pets, etc. Find something that engages your mind and makes you feel good so that scrolling social media doesn’t become a black hole into which you disappear that interferes with your work, family moments or downtime.
Practice Mindful Interactions | When you’re on social media it’s important to make sure you have clearly defined boundaries that you stick to. Don’t be shy about muting or unfollowing certain accounts or people that you find harmful, intrusive or inappropriate. Report anything that steps over a line for you, and don’t be afraid to speak out about it, if appropriate, when this happens. You decide what you respond to or have the energy to engage with and how much/what you share about yourself. Making sure you have clear boundaries will help you feel safe and more able to tackle social media and online communications.
Support One Another | If you’re going to spend time online you may as well add to the overall positivity of the experience for yourself and others by making sure your interactions are supportive and encouraging. It’s easy to become passive as we scroll through various feeds but the people we know or follow may be sharing something useful, heartfelt, educational or important. Take some time to be active and engaged, it feels good to give and receive a kindness boost.
What do you do to maintain your social media health?
Further Reading:
6 Ways Social Media Negatively Affects Your Mental Health — The Independent
6 Ways To Protect Your Mental Health From Social Media’s Dangers — The Conversation
Covid-19 And Your Mental Health — The Mayo Clinic
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This is so important! I never took a break from social media, but I am refraining from looking at social media between certain times. Thank you for refocussing me on this!
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Only looking at social media during certain times is such a good, healthy thing to do. I do this too and have found it has improved my mental wellbeing. I’m glad you found these ideas useful!
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It can be hard to maintain mental health social media. We pretty much only interact with the reading, writing and blogging communities.
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I find I go through cycles it being a positive and then negative experience and it can be quite a shock to see how much it can impact our mental health. Interacting with communities that encourage us is definitely a good way to use our time! Thanks for reading!
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Great post! Social media can have a huge impact on our emotional wellbeing. I agree it’s so important to have strong boundaries when it comes to our time on social media. I love the idea of “mindful interactions.” Thanks for sharing!
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It can sometimes be a bit of a shock when you realize just how much impact social media can have and how important boundaries are — thanks so much for reading!
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Last week I had one of those day to reduce my time on the internet. Honestly it felt good!
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When I do it, it feels so good and gives me a much needed mental reset! Thanks for stopping by!
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Is much needed
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I don’t often have breaks from social media but I know I definitely should. I blindly scroll through Instagram and before I know it, I’ve closed the app and reopened a split second later. Thank you for sharing these amazing tips, I’ll have to take them on board x
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It’s so easy to just mindlessly scroll and find that much more time has passed than anticipated — I do it and I’m actively trying to change that. Thanks for reading!
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This is just what I needed! Great read. Thanks for sharing!
MagicandBliss | https://magicandbliss.com/
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Tnat’s great to hear!
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Great post! I regularly take time away from social media and I always come back feeling so much more positive and rejuvenated 🙂
https://www.femaleoriginal.com
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Same here — it’s so worth doing!
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Taking a social media break is something I’ve never done, but I should at least for a weekend!
I am however reducing the time I’m on social media & spending more time with my boyfriend mainly watching Christmas movies haha
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Taking a break from social media is really good — I usually do it over a weekend when I’m doing something special or just wanting to spend time with my husband. It makes it easier to do as I am focused on something really positive — Christmas movie watching with loved ones is so great right now, haha!
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Me and my bf actually went out of town for the weekend & it was nice to get away & I didn’t do anything on social media & it was great!
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Great tips, this is such an important post! I definitely take breaks from social media as often as I can, and try to switch off when I need to! ☺️
Anika | chaptersofmay.com
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I do too — it can all get too much sometimes! Thanks for reading!
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These are such good tips, such an important post. It’s so easy to get sucked into the social media black hole and feels so good to have the odd break from it!
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It really does good to have abreak from it all — so glad you found the tips useful. Thanks for commenting!
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Social media can really be addicting, it often takes a lot of my productivity, especially right now that most people are still in quarantine. Luckily for me I don’t find joy in it anymore like it did before, but back then I used to uninstall social media apps on my phone and I sometimes lock my phone in my drawer for the whole day to avoid being on social media. 😅
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It’s so true that it can get addicting especially now — it’s important to strike some kind of balance, but that can be easier said than done sometimes, haha! Thanks for stopping by!
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Great post! I also try to limit my social media usage, because I worked out how much time I was spending on social media and it was shocking. There are better things to spend my time on 🙂
All the best, Michelle (michellesclutterbox.com)
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Me too! I didn’t think it would be as much as it was and when I saw it I knew I had to roll it back. Thanks so much for reading!
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Very useful reminders in here. I keep my boundaries by simply hiding posts or blocking accounts that upset me. I also give myself a timeline how long I can be on Twitter for example. It’s tempting to scroll for too long and then feel empty or angry. It’s much better to concentrate energy into meaningful interactions that make me feel better and more productive.
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Yes to all this! I think you’ve got a really great social media health routine going here — it’s important we look out for ourselves when scrolling!
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Thank you for this reminder. I think it’s especially hard to remember when running a blog, but still much needed!
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I agree — it’s so easy to get sucked into endless social media work/scrolling, etc when you have a blog. I think finding a balance is key — and I sometimes fail at that — but taking time off or reducing the amount of time spent online overall is a good thing to implement. Thanks for reading!
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I definitely need to start taking more social media breaks
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It will be great if you can, you really will feel the benefits if you do!
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I love all the points especially taking a break and while using social media sites we should be more kinder to one another while at it🧡✨ xx
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Thank you — I’m so glad you like the tips/advice!
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Great post with lots of good ideas. I’m yet to take a break from social media, but it’s definitely something I need to get round to.
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I highly recommend it as it feels good to do it!
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This was a much needed article especially in times when we over-indulge in social media. My part time work is completely based off social media and internet so I do keep in mind to take breaks whenever I can otherwise I would lose my interest in the real world.
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Overindulge is such a good descriptor for it! I think breaks from it are so important, even if it’s 10 minutes here and there throughout the day, especially if you work using it too. Thanks for stopping by!
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It’s amazing how great a social media vacation feels! You don’t realize the impact of social media on your life until you step away
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Right?! I think it’s such a valuable thing to do and it helps keep things in perspective!
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These are such great tips, I definitely had to limit my Twitter time at the start of lockdown because the constant covid talk was stressing me out majorly and it all got too overwhelming. But it is a great place for relationships and communication as long as you’re mindful of how you’re using it x
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I agree — it’s a delicate balance between being informative, helpful connections and being overwhelming. So glad you found this useful!
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This is so good and a great reminder for myself – thank you!
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You’re welcome — glad it was helpful!
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So good! Thanks a lot for sharing. I can often feel my mental health declining on days when I spend a lot of time on social media.
Toma ❄️ https://www.tomaruh.com
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Mine too — it literally drains me and I need to have time away or modify my usage. Thanks for reading!
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I love this! I’ve literally just deleted some of the social media apps off my phone because I knew I was starting to mindless scroll too much. I’m always in a better interaction space when I’m on my laptop, so just going to keep everything for when I’m on here rather than letting myself reach for my phone. Thanks for sharing some great tips – especially given that we do still need that connection this year.
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I really like the idea of limiting social media app interactions to when using a laptop, I can see how that will improve or even stop that mindless scrolling we all get caught up it! Thank you for reading and sharing that great tip!
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Such a lovely post. We should all be more are of our social media health. I can be awful sometimes, just glued to my phone from 7am however times have changed and I’ve learnt to have days when I don’t. I just don’t feel like it some days and that’s okay. Lovely tips. I often pass time by scrolling tiktok and hours pass. its awful!
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I have tried to move away from my phone being the first thing I grab to look at — it has easily become a habit that most of us do. I definitely still need to work on all this and can lose myself for a long time in mindless scrolling but when I stop and take time off I always feel better. Thanks for stopping by and reading!
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Great tips here. I take a social media vacation for a full week twice a year. It’s a necessity! I’ve also just started not looking at my phone while I’m in bed which also helps. Although it’s been a little harder since I started blogging as social media is a big part of that!
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Every now and then I take the weekend off and I find it just helps me feel so much better — I think no matter what someone’s usage, there is always a balance to find to make sure things remain positive. Thank you so much for reading!
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Fantastic tips Molly! Social media really is a double edged sword isn’t it? I’ve been stepping away from it a lot more in my personal life I guess starting with the last presidential election. However, with my blog and starting an online business I’m on it a lot more in a professional capacity (if that makes sense). It actually seems to be working well for me. Although I still need to take breaks periodically as you mentioned. Thank you for the thoughtful post!
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It definitely is a double edged sword! I use social media for my writing/work too but try to make sure I don’t get into mindless scrolling or be on it at all times of day. I set myself a timetable for it and so far it has made a big difference. Thanks so much for stopping by!
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Great post! I’ve taken a few breaks of social media especially this year and I’ve reduced my time on social media. I spend most of my time on social media for my blog.
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I am the same, I found keeping it focused on being related to my writing has been huge help. Thanks for stopping by!
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This is a great post and some really good points. Social media is a huge part of our lives but it’s so important to recognize when our usage might be becoming unhealthy. There’s more to life than social media!
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Exactly! Social media, for a lot of us who access to it, has become a very normal part of our life, so we should make sure it’s a healthy experience. Thanks so much for reading!
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This is such a great post and an important message for everyone! I always think social media breaks are healthy. we need to get back to reality sometimes and just be present in our real lives. Great read!
~Brittany
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Taking a vacation from social media always makes me feel good, and more enthusiastic in general when I get back on it. I 100% agree that being present in our own lives is so important — thank you so much for reading!
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This holiday season has been very difficult for me. Especially since I am away from my family. Being on social media doesn’t help. There are times when I feel like I have to stay up-to-date. That includes keeping my blog consistent. Since I’ve been having a tough time, I’ve had to take a couple of days, even longer than a week, to get back into the right mindset.
Thanks for sharing your tips! I’ll have to try the other methods you mentioned.
Valerie | https://avecvalerie.com
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Having a tough time certainly makes it okay that you can’t Do things in the same way you are used to doing (I feel you 100% on this). Being away from family also compounds anything we’re feeling at this times of year so don’t worry about needing time away from social media or your blog or for your schedule being sporadic. Getting your mindset right is the most important things here and finding a rhythm that helps you navigate whatever it is you’re going through is the right thing to do. I hope these tips will prove useful — sending you much love!
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Thank you so much for the uplifting words! I will remind myself of these tips.
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I hope you will find them useful — thanks for stopping by!
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Lovely ideas. I’m trying to spend less time online the idea of finding an alternative habit is really helpful. Thanks for sharing!
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I’m so glad this gave you some inspiration — it’s definitely easier said than done to spend less time online but it’s worth trying (I found it works and helps overall). Thanks for reading!
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