Most young adults are addicted to their social media accounts. Facebook and Instagram help us stay connected and get inspired, but they also have a dark side. According to the American Psychiatric Association, depression and anxiety are common consequences of social media. Fortunately, there are ways to protect your mental health.
Dangers And Solutions
Stop comparing your normal to someone else’s best — feeds are heavily curated. They will continue affecting your psyche until you trim them. Most Instagrammers use professional lighting, filters, and editing apps. Many of them look the way they do thanks to the help of an entire team!
Users can buy Delta-8 gummies to boost their mood, but the root cause of their anxiety won’t disappear on its own. Follow these tips to protect your self-esteem:
- Unfollow Accounts that Makes You Feel Less Than
Some of the accounts you follow probably make you feel bad about yourself, at least occasionally. Unfollow them once and for all. Even seemingly innocuous content may hinder your self-esteem!
Perfectly curated content from a food blogger will cause frustration if you cannot cook yourself. An interior design account could make you fixate on the imperfections of your home. Anything that triggers a negative mindset must vanish from your list.
- Unfollow Everyone on Facebook
For some people, simply logging out of Facebook or putting their smartphones on silent is not enough. Consider a radical solution if all else fails — unfollow everyone.
This does not mean your friends or family members will disappear from your friend list. You will just stop seeing their updates in your feed, so there will be fewer notifications and distractions.
Besides, most users have accounts on Instagram, so you won’t be completely out of touch with the people closest to you. The content is often duplicated, which means you get twice as many notifications. If you unfollow everyone, you won’t be tempted to scroll through Facebook looking at someone else’s curated lives!
- Only Follow Accounts that Bring You Joy
Surround yourself with information that brings positive energy. Analyze your positive subscriptions and consider following more accounts of the same type. For example, you may be inspired by baking bloggers, comedians, memes, etc. Fill your newsfeed with positivity!
- Spend Less Time on Social Media
Minimize the time spent on these apps and arrange a social media detox whenever possible. These simple tips will help you:
- While working, keep your phone in airplane mode as long as possible.
- Take your phone to a different room to charge.
- Close all browser tabs with social media.
- Turn off notifications on social media apps.
- Devote time to energy replenishing activities, such as meditation, walking, reading, and exercise.
Final Word
It is time to take back the power over how you feel. Try our strategies to create a positive social media environment. Even if you check your feed all day long, it will bring only positive energy.