Healthy Social Media Habits

Let’s face it: Mental health and social media don’t always have a positive relationship. However, social media is engrained in our society (and, in many cases, our business). There is no getting away from it, but there are healthy social media habits we can all keep in mind to maintain a positive relationship with social media, even if our business and relationships depend on it. 

5 Healthy Social Media Habits for a Happy Relationship with Social Media 

Be clear about your intentions

Using social media to up your influencer status or build brand awareness is always a good idea. Spending hours on Facebook scrolling down the newsfeed with no real purpose is not always a good idea. If you aren’t clear on your intentions going in, you will find yourself unintentionally wasting hours on social media and getting absolutely nothing accomplished, and usually feeling kinda gross by the end of it. When you log on with a clear purpose and tangible goals, then your time spent on the platform(s) will be valuable and leave you feeling good knowing you are doing something to market your business or your brand. 

Stop comparing yourself to everyone else

If you think so-and-so’s business is doing great because they posted a networking selfie, think again. Instead of asking yourself, “Why are they getting more likes than me?” ask yourself how you can use what they said to inspire your own purpose. There is enough opportunity in this (digital) world, no need to make it a competition with everyone else. No one is perfect for everyone. Besides, the 18-inch trout that someone else just posted probably isn’t even 18 inches. No need to compare your truths with another’s fabrications, which represents a lot of social media. Instead, focus on engagement and inspiration when scrolling the feeds. 

Schedule your social media time 

Balance is key with anything in life, and that includes social media. Create boundaries around your social use, and stick to them! Even with the best intentions, that scroll time adds up. Consider giving yourself a time limit - only 2 hours a day - or a time of day to post and engage. Experts will tell you to stay away from the screen right before bed, especially if you struggle going to sleep. Avoiding your phone first thing in the morning is also a good idea. Maybe even get one of those old-fashioned alarm clocks to be your alarm in the morning to maintain a healthy social media habit. 

Think before posting

This can be tricky, especially when Aunt Karen keeps posting frustrating political posts on Facebook. It is better for your mental health to stop following Karen than it is to engage with her nonsense. The same goes with the random guy throwing disgusting insults at any post they can—there is no reason to engage with these people online. You won’t change their minds, and it will just get you worked up for no reason. 

If you are the random person on Twitter posting to stir the pot, take some time to reflect on why you feel the need to do that. If you are not posting something kind or constructive, why post it? If you are only posting negativity, think about how that reflects in your daily life. Just because you are right and have the right to say something, doesn’t mean you are in the right for saying it. Not every thought needs to be recorded for all time. Not every picture needs to see the light of day. Before you hit send, think about whether your post is putting more positivity or more negativity in the world. If it's the latter, I challenge you to step back from the post and think about it before hitting that send button. 

Connect with your community

The best thing about social media is its ability to bring people together from all around the world. From old high school friends to new best friends who have the same obsession with Friends that you do, social media provides the space to foster beautiful connections. When you find your community on social media, you might find a sense of belonging you never felt growing up. When you find others talking about struggles with mental health, it might help you open up about your own struggles. When you find others who are supportive and accepting of your dreams, you might just find the support you’ve always needed to make them happen. In other words, social media isn’t all bad. But doom-scrolling Twitter might be. It’s all about how you use it. It’s all about how you maintain healthy social media habits while engaging in a community. 

Social media may be everywhere, but there’s no reason to be on it if you don’t find some sort of joy in the experience. In the words of moms everywhere, “If everyone else was jumping off a bridge, would you jump too?” You only have one life in this world and spending all of it on social media, especially if you don’t really like it, is not the way to go. Remember there is a whole world in front of you too! Think about the value social media brings to your life, and capitalize on that. Leave all the negative social posts and drama right where they belong—in the trash.