There’s no doubt that social media has made a number of positive impacts on our lives. Because of social media, millions of people are able to connect around the world, share important information and research, promote their passions, and express their creativity with others. However—despite its benefits—the connection between social media and mental health is becoming a growing concern. And rightfully so…
The truth is, when it comes to social media, many people aren’t very mindful of their engagement. This often leads to damaging effects on their mental and emotional well-being.
To take better care of ourselves, we must become intentional of our daily habits, including the ways we engage online. In this article, we’ll discuss five tips for protecting your mental health on social media.
Set Clear Goals for Social Media Use
Being specific about your goals is essential for healthy social media use. To ensure a more positive experience online, you should have a clear purpose for your social media accounts.
Before I took the brave leap of becoming active on social media, I carefully considered my “WHY” for engaging. Goals help hold us accountable, and allow us to engage in ways that support our well-being.
Let’s face it, in today’s world, social media usage has become an important part of our personal and professional lives. Setting clear goals (and establishing clear boundaries) is a vital step towards protecting our mental health.
Follow Social Media Accounts That Are Good for Your Mental Health
Everything is connected through energy exchange—and social media is no different. When it comes to social media use, a best practice is to follow accounts that give more energy than they take.
The truth is, what you absorb online can and will affect your mood, perceptions, thoughts, feelings, and at moments—your sense of worth. In addition to connecting with like-minds, it’s important to follow accounts that make you feel inspired, uplifted, and excited about your life.
The truth is, what you absorb online can and will affect your mood, perceptions, thoughts, feelings, and at moments—your sense of worth.
Disconnect from Social Media for Mental Health
The real world needs your attention. Reserving time to unplug from your devices is a great way to prioritize yourself and your needs.
Engaging on social media can be fun, entertaining, and uplifting—but if overused—it can also be mentally and emotionally depleting. Sometimes we have to disconnect to reconnect.
When you allow yourself to take breaks from social media, you can make space for other important areas of your life—such as reconnecting with yourself, focusing on personal growth, embracing nature, and putting your energy towards your goals.
Create More Than You Consume
As with anything, balance is key. It can be interesting watching other people’s lives on social media—but don’t become a mindless consumer. Instead, start shifting your focus towards your own gifts and talents.
Creating, rather than merely consuming, can make the time you spend on social media feel more meaningful and fulfilling. It can also serve as a great form of self-care.
For me personally, creative expression has been a key purpose for engaging online. Focusing on my own creative output (and sharing it with others) has boosted my confidence, helped me hone my strengths, and allows me to avoid the negative effects of constant consumption.
Don’t Compare Yourself to Others
We’re all human—and it’s quite natural to compare ourselves to others from time to time. But with constant access to other people’s lives through social media, we’re now comparing ourselves to others at a rate that is detrimental to our mental and emotional health.
In the past, adolescents were more likely to suffer from the negative effects of social media comparisons (such as low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety). But now, many adults are beginning to feel the impact as well.
Here’s a list of tips to help you avoid comparing yourself to others in the virtual world:
- Reduce your time online
- Curate your feed
- Focus on your strengths
- Avoid your triggers
- Don’t obsess over likes and views
- Count your blessings
- Just be yourself
- Don’t hesitate to Unfollow
- Focus on what really matters in life
- Remember that everything you see is not reality
I’m no expert when it comes to social media. In fact, I still consider myself to be a newbie in a sense. But these are some of the strategies I’ve implemented to protect my peace online (and I’m still building new strategies every day). The key is to establish a routine that works for YOU.
To protect your mental health on social media… start with your “why.”
Become intentional about your engagement, and start building healthy habits that will support your mental and emotional well-being!
33 responses to “Social Media and Mental Health: How to Build Healthy Habits”
Hi Sheenia, ty for sharing your post!! Being able to turn negatives into a positive I believe is a gift we are learning how to better develop. Having connections and sharing your ideas is a great way how we can grow and improve overall.
Yes, exactly!
Yesss positivity is a MUST for a happy life! Great post!
Thanks!
So smart and timely for today! Thank you so much for sharing! This is good one to share!
Awesome! Thanks for reading.
This post is a good reminder that social media is a powerful influencer. It has its benefits and disadvantages. Making use of the algorithm by choosing positive, feel-good posts and people to follow will really work to your advantage.
Agreed!
I definitely fall into the five areas and need to set better boundaries for myself. Great post; I really enjoyed it.
We all need to become more mindful and set good boundaries when it comes to social media.
Setting clear goals is always essential. thanks for this article! all support and love
Thank you! Goal setting is a must.
This is such a tough thing to put into practice. Working on it every day and staying committed to good social media habits can be such a struggle. Time limits help be disconnect and reengage with other parts of life.
[…] Reduces stress and promotes relaxation: Taking a break from our daily routine and responsibilities can help reduce stress levels and promote relaxation, leading to improved mental health. […]
I love, love, love the part mentioning to create more than you consume. Also, to designate clear times to disconnect. I have to do better at that than I have been.
It’s a work in progress, Tracy! Sounds like you’re pretty self-aware, and that’s a great start!
I love this article and appreciate all of your suggestions on protecting our mental health when using social media. As a mental health provider, I see social media’s negative and toxic impact on children, teens, and adults. I tried a digital detox myself and saw the significant benefits https://pantearahimian.com/how-your-life-changes-when-you-stop-social-media/
I’ve been starting to only follow social media accounts that will make me happy. Unfollowed anything that might be triggering.
really great tips for sure. I use freedom blocker to kick me off social media around 4pm or 5pm so I can’t access it after work hours.
Great strategy, Jimmy!
Thank you for writing about this topic!
I believe that learning how to deal with the information overload we are living in is one of the most important topics to talk about.
Valuable insight and tips!
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Love this post and all your tips!
There is a scripture that always comes to mind when I think of social media. It says, “the eyes are the window to the soul” We have to be careful what we expose ourselves to in order to maintain a healthy and well balanced life.
Agree with your views about social media. The way they make us feel is very important. I also believe disconnecting should be done from time to time to pay attention to reality. Thanks for sharing your awesome tips!
Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts, Nelly!
I really like your content. This is a great post on a needed topic. It’s hard as a blogger especially to cut back on social media.
Agreed, Carol. As bloggers and content creators, it can become difficult to stay offline at times. Finding that perfect balance for maintaining our mental health is key.
So true! Even though I have to use social media for my business and blog, I never liked using it much personally. So making sure to protect my energy is so important to not injure my sense of worth based on negative experiences online.
Thanks so much for the tips!
Such great advice! So smart and timely for today! Thank you so much for sharing! This is good one to share!
I couldn’t agree more. Thank you for the great advice. Nice post.
This is so accurate. I really need to practice the “disconnect” part next year.