Social media can cast a positive and negative impact which is determined by how the person uses the platforms. It can be a functional device to stay in contact with family, friends, social circle, complete your tasks and stay updated. But on the other hand, overuse or misuse of this platform can throw serious consequences on one’s mental health.
Discovering well-balanced and healthy habits for using social platforms is crucial for making sure it has a positive presence in our life.
The least opted choice is disabling your accounts hoping that it will solve all the problems and issues, this isn’t possible and not a smart choice. To preserve and nourish your mental health, giving up on social media shouldn’t be the answer.
Below are compiled a few ideas and tips to turn your social feed in positive results.
Don't use social media first thing in the morning
The key to having balanced mental health is to schedule your on-screen time. Fix your time when you can scroll the web and ignore notifications when you are busy with friends and family. Start your morning with a clear healthy mindset rather than picking up your phone first thing after you wake up and shoving social negativity in your brain.
Take inspiration rather than comparing
You behave what you see. Social apps use algorithms to regulate what are our interests and forecast what kind of content we want to observe. Customize your feed and follow those who are your inspiration. If someone’s post or thoughts are making you feel low of yourself, better unfollow them.
Don’t compare your chapter one with their chapter 20. Someone who is posting their vacation pictures, encouraging quotes, success stories must have gone through a lot too. Understand that not everything you see on social media is true and many of it is just highlights of people’s lives. It does not define their whole life and they have gone through tough times too. Make them your inspiration rather than comparing your life with theirs.
Spread positivity
The facelessness and satisfaction of social platforms have made it quite easy to grow hate. Before pressing the hit button, think twice about what you are sending out to the world. Instead of spreading criticism and hate, try to spread love and affection. Make your feed encouraging, positive and informative and avoid hateful comments, trolls and arguments.
Put your health first
If you are feeling down, don’t use social media as an escape portal, spend some time alone, go out for a walk or grab a bite with your friend. Social platforms can be captivating or provoking sometimes because of them being available all the time. If receiving notifications all day makes you anxious and unhappy, disable notifications so you see them only when you sign in.
Conclusion
Above mentioned tips can make your life easier and productive. Using them will help you create a healthy mental state and stress-free social life. Taking breaks from time to time will be an enjoyable experience both for your real and digital life. If you feel that social media is casting a negative impact on your life and taking breaks or logging out isn’t helping you gain peace, consider speaking with someone and reaching out for help. Social media can enhance your lifestyle but also can be a major stressor, use wisely.