Let’s talk about social media anxiety disorder.
We’ve all had periods in our lives where we spend every single day on social media. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, more recently TikTok – all the usual suspects.
Social media is amazing but can be addicting & drive the best of us INSANE.
Lauryn has been a fan of taking social media breaks for years, which inspires all of us on The Skinny Confidential team to take them too. Social media isn’t all bad but if you’re feeling overwhelmed, we highly recommend you start by choosing one day a week for a blackout. That’s right. Ignore all social media.
You can take time to meditate, ice roll, walk, listen to a podcast, read & hang with family & friends. If you’re feeling a little burnt out from all that scrolling a TOTAL social media blackout is the move.
How To Deal With Social Media Anxiety
Social media has brought tons of positive things into our lives. Like we said, it’s not all bad. Being able to connect with friends & family from far away, making new friends, building connections & community, business growth, you get it.
But it’s just important to be aware of the negative effects of social media like FOMO, self-confidence issues, bullying, & social media anxiety.
You’re thinking: social media anxiety? Really? YES. IT’S REAL.
What is Social Media Anxiety?
Social media anxiety is one of those terms that is kind of hard to define. But, basically, it’s when you’re experiencing feelings of anxiety ( increased blood pressure, stress, weight-on-your-shoulders, tightness in the chest ) related to your social media usage.
Why it happens:
♡ We use likes & comments to calculate self-worth
♡ We’re constantly comparing ourselves to others social media
♡ We have fear of missing out on all the cool shit we see online
♡ We rely on social media as our only forms of social interactions
How to tell if you are experiencing social media anxiety?
♡ A super overwhelming need to constantly post on social media
♡ Severe feelings of stress when you can’t check your social media accounts
♡ Neglecting work, school-work, or home duties for social media
♡ Being constantly distracted by social media
♡ Withdrawing from friends & family to post or scroll
♡ Loss of interest in hobbies, going out with friends, social events
Being dependent on social media likes can be detrimental to a person’s mental health. In fact, this is one of the quickest ways to find yourself feeling alone, self-conscious, anxious, & maybe even depressed.
In addition, spending too much time online checking social media can have effects on your cognitive-behavioral health. Social media is just not worth risking your mental health. In fact, Lauryn has about 5 people at a time whose content she consumes. It has to be inspiring, educating or entertaining.
In summary, social media shouldn’t control your life.
So, today we wanted to share some tips that helped us learn to deal with social media anxiety. Making these small changes can also help you overcome the pressures of social media & improve your headspace.
How To Deal With Social Media Anxiety
♡ Get to know yourself
Being conscious of how using social media makes you feel is the first step to dealing with social media anxiety.
How do you feel when you use Instagram for long periods of time? Do you feel anxious when you can’t check your phone? Do certain accounts that you follow make you feel bad about yourself? Are you having actual meaningful connections with people on your social media?
Ask yourself these questions to get to know yourself more. This way, you can track the pattern of your anxiety & then prevent it in the future.
♡ Change your social media habits
Now that you’re more aware of the effects that social media might be having on your life, you can totally take steps to change your social media habits.
If you realize that you’re experiencing feelings of anxiety and depression every time you open Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc., it might also be a good time to start limiting your time on that particular social media network. Especially if you find yourself spending a lot of time creeping on other people’s accounts & comparing yourself.
♡ You can change your social media habits by:
+ Limiting yourself to a certain amount of time per day
+ Turning off or muting your notifications
+ Scheduling social media breaks
+ Unfollowing accounts that make you feel bad
+ Blocking the haters
♡ Use social media as a tool for inspiration
Social media doesn’t have to rule your life. In fact, you can use social media as a tool for inspiration.
In addition, you can use it to help create vision boards or to find meaningful quotes & affirmations. Use it to watch funny doggie videos & boost your mood. You can also use it to plan your next trip, research brands, or find your favorite musicians. Or you can even use social media to inspire others by posting positive and uplifting content.
The key here is to just make sure that your time on social media is spent in the most positive way.
♡ Take social media breaks
Like we said above, HUGE fans of social media breaks at TSC. They can also help you focus on important things happening in real life.
So, how do you take a social media break? Taking a quick social media break is easy…it’s sticking to the routine that’s the hard part.
- Choose 1 day per week to take a break
- Schedule your posts ahead of time if you still want to post
- Turn off notifications of all your social media platforms
- Grab a book, do something you love, get some exercise, do some self-care, ANYTHING other than social media
- Rinse & repeat each week
Stick to the routine of doing this once a week, every week & you’ll see the benefits.
♡ Be selective with who & what to follow on social media.
Time to do some spring cleaning! And, we don’t mean in the house.
We mean cleaning out those ‘following’ & ‘followers’ lists. If the accounts you’re following don’t make you feel good it’s time to say buy-bye & click that unfollow button.
And, if any of your followers have the audacity to leave negative comments, don’t be afraid to HIT THAT BLOCK BUTTON so quick they won’t even know what happened.
If you’re dealing with social media anxiety…You’re not alone.
We all know the power of social media & the reality is, it’s only going to get more powerful as technology keeps advancing. So that’s why it’s important to learn how to overcome social media anxiety now & make sure that the only thing in control of your life is you.
Hope you loved these tips, & if you guys have any questions or comments about social media anxiety, drop them below & let’s keep this conversation going. It’s high time we started talking in depth about these issues & how to overcome them.
That’s it for now, talk soon!
x, The Skinny Confidential team
+ If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, The Suicide Prevention Lifeline has 24/7, free & confidential support for people in distress, prevention, & crisis resources: 1-800-273-8255.
+ if you’re into a no-filter world, check out this post & podcast with Victoria Garrick.
++ For more on mental toughness, check out 5 Rules to be a Mentally Tough Badass.
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