Mind your Mental Health
The harmful impact of social media is a contentious issue. Since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis, social media usage has increased exponentially across all age groups and generations.
At its core, social media is a powerful communication tool that has become an integral part of daily life. With nearly 60% of the worlds population using the internet (over 4 billion users), it is an unavoidable part of human interaction.
One of the most common consequences of the growth of social media has been the exponential rise in mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, particularly in young people. Safer Social aims to highlight these and offer tools to help reduce the negative consequences.
While social media is an incredible tool and source of information and entertainment, it is good to remember that regardless of age, social media has the potential to negatively impact your mental health. You are not immune.
It is worthwhile knowing when to step back from social media, to protect your own mental health. Here social media.
Set Usage Times
Scheduling a time of day in which you consume the news so that you do not feel as though you’re missing anything, but also you are not over-consuming, is a great way to give your brain a rest and digest what you’ve read or watched without feeling overwhelmed. Try to limit yourself to 20-25 minutes per day. Some phones allow you to set time limits on your apps via your settings, and will lock the app once you have used up your allotted time. Alternatively, swap out social media scrolling for watching the news on the television, or reading a newspaper.
Get of your phone
Put the phone down and replace the needless scrolling and overconsumption with extra time for a hobby, or a pastime. It’s good to give our brains a break. Find something that brings you joy and use it to distract yourself from social media.
Look For The Good News
If you do find yourself itching to read up on current events, try looking at ‘good news’ news sources like the good news network. Nowadays, news on social media is based around clicks and click-bait - even reputable news sources are guilty of targeting their audiences this way. Negativity travels much faster. Don’t subscribe to this way of thinking, not everything going on in the world is negative, in the real-world outside of social media, so many good things are happening. Why don’t you check it out for yourself! https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/
Remember that Social media isn't real
It's so easy to compare yourself to others online. Whether it's a famous influencer jetting off to Paris, or your friends on a fun night out - remember that social media highlights only the glamorous parts of someone's life. Everything isn't always as great as it may seem.
Unfollow accounts that don't make you feel good
If you do find yourself comparing yourself to others, don't be afraid to unfollow those accounts. It's easy to compare your life with the lives of others, whether it be in relation to your body, clothes, house, car or your social life. Your social media is under your control, look for positive accounts that inspire you.