Following on from my stint away from social media (the reasons for which you can read about here), I've begun to develop a few strategies that will hopefully help me to use social media in a much healthier way from this point on.
Social media can certainly have a very positive impact in our lives, from helping us to learn more, to keeping in contact with friends and family across the globe, but there's certainly no denying that it sometimes goes too far and has a negative effect on our wellbeing too. I'm now working towards a lifestyle where I can use social media for good, but learn how to switch off when I sense it all getting a bit much - I hope my ideas will help you too.
1. Interrogate how social media is serving you and find new ways to satisfy those needs
This first one I owe to my lovely friend Kirsty, who took a break from Instagram last May and never looked back. When I was thinking about stepping away from it all myself, Kirsty encouraged me to think about what it is that I'm looking for when I reach for my phone. Is it because you're bored? Are you needing a way to procrastinate? Are you hoping for validation via likes, or comparing yourself to your friends online?
Once you're more aware of some of the unhealthy ways you may be using social media, you'll find it easier to come up with new, healthier ways to satisfy those desires, like reading a book, cooking or writing. To replace a desire for validation, you could start calling your friends instead, or arranging to meet in person and spend some time together. By finding new ways of satisfying those needs, you'll find that, not only do you spend time doing more meaningful, enjoyable things, you'll also begin to place much less value on the role of social media in your life.
2. Reconsider your follow list
Often, it can be the accounts you're following that are actually bringing you down. Sure, we all know that even our friends will only post their highlights on social media, but there are also millions of celebrities and internet stars who are physically paid to look and act a certain way online.
When I came back to social media for the first time after my break, I had a massive clear out of my Instagram feed and unfollowed over 300 accounts. My rule was that, as I was scrolling down my feed, if I saw something that made me feel anything less than positive, I would unfollow.
The trick with social media is that it really is what you make it, and you can shape your entire feed however you choose. Now, I aim to create a space that makes me feel uplifted and positive - and you can do the same.
3. Be truthful with your posting
I've spoken before about how people project a certain image of themselves onto social media, only posting what they deem to be the highlights to show everyone what a brilliant time they're having. I am certainly guilty of this - but it's time to change my angle.
Instead of posting things simply because they're 'Insta-worthy', I've made a deal with myself to only click publish if how I feel really is in line with what I'm posting. For example, I used to post things no matter how I felt simply because they looked good - if I went for dinner, didn't really have a good time but my dish looked great, I would still post it on Instagram. If I spent 20 minutes trying to take the perfect photo, I would always post the end result. I came to realise that, in doing this, I myself was being untruthful in what I was posting. To my followers, it would look like I was having a great time and looking suitably 'candid', but that image didn't reflect how I actually felt.
Now, I will only post something if I really did enjoy it in the moment. There's nothing wrong with sharing things you enjoy, so a lovely lunch or afternoon spent with friends is totally fine to post - I just want to try my best to be entirely truthful on social media, so as not to add to all the superficiality that's already out there.
4. Use social media with intention
Another great way of keeping on top of how you're using social media is to establish a habit where you only pick up your phone when you have a certain intention of how you're going to use it. For example, if you need to call somebody, reply to a text message or look something up on Google, go ahead and tap away. If you're picking it up to procrastinate while you're at work or waiting for a train, however, maybe go back and take another look at tip 1.
It can be strange at first if you're used to using your phone whenever you have a spare minute - for the majority of people, myself included, picking up your phone is second nature when you've got nothing else to do - but you'll soon find that the space to think and spend time on other things in your life is a very welcome break.
5. Take a break when you need it
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, take a break when you need it. As I myself found, social media can become incredibly overwhelming and there's absolutely nothing wrong with stepping away from it for a day, a week, or even a month or more like I did.
Moving on from here, I'm hoping personally to establish either a certain day of the week (Sunday's probably best) or certain hours of the day to section off as 'screen-free time' in order to give myself more time and space. Giving yourself some time to breathe away from the screen is invaluable, and, of course, all those seemingly important notifications will still be there when you get back.
Once you're more aware of some of the unhealthy ways you may be using social media, you'll find it easier to come up with new, healthier ways to satisfy those desires, like reading a book, cooking or writing. To replace a desire for validation, you could start calling your friends instead, or arranging to meet in person and spend some time together. By finding new ways of satisfying those needs, you'll find that, not only do you spend time doing more meaningful, enjoyable things, you'll also begin to place much less value on the role of social media in your life.
2. Reconsider your follow list
Often, it can be the accounts you're following that are actually bringing you down. Sure, we all know that even our friends will only post their highlights on social media, but there are also millions of celebrities and internet stars who are physically paid to look and act a certain way online.
When I came back to social media for the first time after my break, I had a massive clear out of my Instagram feed and unfollowed over 300 accounts. My rule was that, as I was scrolling down my feed, if I saw something that made me feel anything less than positive, I would unfollow.
The trick with social media is that it really is what you make it, and you can shape your entire feed however you choose. Now, I aim to create a space that makes me feel uplifted and positive - and you can do the same.
3. Be truthful with your posting
I've spoken before about how people project a certain image of themselves onto social media, only posting what they deem to be the highlights to show everyone what a brilliant time they're having. I am certainly guilty of this - but it's time to change my angle.
Instead of posting things simply because they're 'Insta-worthy', I've made a deal with myself to only click publish if how I feel really is in line with what I'm posting. For example, I used to post things no matter how I felt simply because they looked good - if I went for dinner, didn't really have a good time but my dish looked great, I would still post it on Instagram. If I spent 20 minutes trying to take the perfect photo, I would always post the end result. I came to realise that, in doing this, I myself was being untruthful in what I was posting. To my followers, it would look like I was having a great time and looking suitably 'candid', but that image didn't reflect how I actually felt.
Now, I will only post something if I really did enjoy it in the moment. There's nothing wrong with sharing things you enjoy, so a lovely lunch or afternoon spent with friends is totally fine to post - I just want to try my best to be entirely truthful on social media, so as not to add to all the superficiality that's already out there.
4. Use social media with intention
Another great way of keeping on top of how you're using social media is to establish a habit where you only pick up your phone when you have a certain intention of how you're going to use it. For example, if you need to call somebody, reply to a text message or look something up on Google, go ahead and tap away. If you're picking it up to procrastinate while you're at work or waiting for a train, however, maybe go back and take another look at tip 1.
It can be strange at first if you're used to using your phone whenever you have a spare minute - for the majority of people, myself included, picking up your phone is second nature when you've got nothing else to do - but you'll soon find that the space to think and spend time on other things in your life is a very welcome break.
5. Take a break when you need it
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, take a break when you need it. As I myself found, social media can become incredibly overwhelming and there's absolutely nothing wrong with stepping away from it for a day, a week, or even a month or more like I did.
Moving on from here, I'm hoping personally to establish either a certain day of the week (Sunday's probably best) or certain hours of the day to section off as 'screen-free time' in order to give myself more time and space. Giving yourself some time to breathe away from the screen is invaluable, and, of course, all those seemingly important notifications will still be there when you get back.
