Creating a Balance with Social Media

I use it every day. Millions of us do and we click on the apps over and over again without even noticing it. It’s an addictive habit, and we are more addicted to it than we realise. For sure, it serves an important purpose, but if you feel like you’re spending too much time glued to your screen and not enough time in reality, maybe it’s time to take a break.

Social media can be great. As someone who works in the music and entertainment industry, I utilise the platform daily. In terms of business, it is a fantastic way to reach people, but it provides more than that – it helps you to keep in touch with friends, is a great platform to drive social change, and is a wonderful source of inspiration, be it for fitness, travel, veganism, or whatever it is that motivates you. It’s a brilliant tool for self-expression and fosters connection in a way we have never seen before. All in all, social media is a great addition to our world, however it is important that we are mindful about the ways in which we engage with it. There’s a negative side to social media too, and it’s one I think we should keep in mind. We need to remember that social media tends to be a highlight reel of people’s lives. The more time we spend focusing on social media and witnessing the highlights of the lives of others, the more we are dragged away from the present moment. There are certain pressures to always be sharing, and this in itself can take away from the magic of moments. In fact, researchers have found that social media (especially Instagram) can breed low self-esteem and contribute negatively to our mental health.

So, how do we strike the perfect balance with this platform?

Turn off notifications
This one is easy. Pick up your phone, head to the settings and turn off all social media notifications. There’s nothing worse than having notifications pop up constantly on your phone – it means you are always thinking about your socials and it fuels the addiction to checking it. 

Get intentional
Take your social media apps OFF your home screen. This means when you go to find the app it will be more intentional as opposed to a subconscious habit. When you do open the app, take a second to first think about what you are going online to do, whether it’s allowing yourself 10 minutes to scroll, or whether you’re going to spend 20 minutes responding to messages. Set a timer and keep yourself accountable.

Dedicate 1 or 2 days a month to create content
If you’re a business, spend 1 day each month creating dedicated content for your social media. Lock in another day to schedule your content into a scheduling app (I like the app Later), and use this day to also write your captions. This saves so much time and energy throughout the month and ensures that you have a good mix of intentional content to use!

Curate a platform that feels good for you
It’s important that logging onto your social media doesn’t drain your energy or contribute to any sort of ‘less than’ or ‘lack’ mentality. Take some time and go through the people you follow online – if you feel negative emotions arising from particular people, just unfollow them. And, if it’s someone that would kick up a stink if you unfollow them, Instagram has a handy feature where you can mute profiles – they’ll never even know. There are so many incredible profiles on social media that lift you up and inspire you – fill your feed with these, and notice the difference in how you feel.

Take regular breaks
I cannot overemphasise the importance of taking a break from social media (though this is as much a reminder for myself as it is for you). One of my favourite ways to do this is to set screen limits on your phone. This will lock you out of the apps once you hit a dedicated time limit. The second is to literally delete the app from your phone for a little while. Even spending a few days without it will leave you feeling refreshed and inspired – give it a try!