Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt personally victimized by an Instagram post.
As we mentioned previously, April is Stress Awareness Month with the goal being to increase public awareness of both the causes and cures for our modern stress epidemic.
One way to combat chronic stress is with self-care. This could be anything from reading a book, to exercise, to putting on a face mask, to even taking a digital detox.
Yes, we are a digital marketing agency, but we realize the stressors that come along with constantly being plugged in to your phone. Unplugging and taking some time to do things IRL, is important, and cannot be stressed enough (no pun intended!).
If, like us, your work requires you to check into social media often, or if you’re someone who enjoys scrolling through your various feeds on the leisure, there are still plenty of ways to keep yourself in check, and make sure you’re not overdoing it.
Below, we’ve put together a social media guide to self care, because, if we’re keeping it real, social media can be a huge anxiety trigger if not played with responsibly.
Social media can be great for cute puppy sightings, recipe ideas, and career inspo. But even as social media professionals, we know there can be a darker side to it. Brooke and Mark Schaefer recently discussed social media burnout on the Marketing Companion Podcast (and it’s definitely worth a listen!).
For some, social media can cause feelings of envy, or possibly not being good enough, or smart enough. Maybe it’s the influencer who always looks perfect, or the marketing guru with 50,000 followers getting the jobs and opportunities you want.
While social media can be the source of so much good, if it sometimes feels like too much to handle, here are five key ways to take care of yourself.
1. Don’t Go In Blindy
Before you get sucked into endless scrolling, check in with yourself. Examine how you feel prior, during, and after social media use.
2. Be Mindful
As you’re looking through social media feeds, continue to check in with yourself. Do you feel happy and energized? Or tired and preoccupied? Why are you feeling this way? Are certain people’s posts stressing you out? Is this how you want to be spending your time at this moment?
Adjust your social media habits to fit your needs. If you notice that engaging with specific people makes you feel down, unfriend or unfollow them. They don’t need to know! Your mental health takes priority.
3. Social Media Is Not Real Life
It’s easy to scroll through your social media feeds and begin to have negative feelings because your life doesn’t seem as fun or glamorous as those you follow. Remember that no one lives a life full of perfectly-plated food with constant exotic vacations while permanently surrounded by their best friends.
People also do not look like their everyday selves after they’ve been photo-edited and filtered. Even if you know this, it can be hard to internalize. If you find yourself growing jealous or feeling inadequate, remind yourself: people are not the social media version of themselves.
4. Take A Break
If you’ve realized that spending time on any social media platform makes you feel tired or irritable, consider taking a break. It can be liberating to eliminate unnecessary stresses from your life.
If you’re spending more time online and less time hanging out with friends or family or doing other activities, it may also be time to take a break (or at least cut back). If you let social media replace time hanging out with other people, it may make you feel isolated or lonely.
In other words, muting people who bring you down, intentionally or not, is actually self-care—and it’s a practice you should never feel bad about.
5. Let Your Followers Know
For many of us who use social media like it’s going out of style, it’s perfectly OK to alert your online community that you won’t be logging in for a while. With an active online presence, you don’t want your followers to get worried if you suddenly disappear. They’ll probably even be super supportive of you taking some time for yourself!
Final Thoughts
As someone who loves social media, and also uses it for a living, taking some time off feels almost as difficult as cutting out my morning coffee. To ease myself in, I have tried small steps, like not checking my phone after 10pm, or not checking it for a few hours at a time over the weekend. With social media being such a large part of our lives, stepping away may be difficult, but why not experiment with a digital detox this weekend – even just for a few hours!
What are some ways you combat social media burnout? Let us know in the comments section below!
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