I love social media! It’s brought me new friends. It keeps me in touch with family and friends. I’ve gained a lot of inspirations, life hacks, and information from it.
BUTTTTTTT….
It’s also a time suck. It’s programmed to be addictive (has anyone else watched The Social Dilemma?!). And it can bring with it a LOT of comparison, self-doubt, and the pressure to do more, have more, be more.
I believe that social media is one of the top reasons it’s so hard to know who we really are and what matters most to us. If we can improve our relationship with social media, our confidence will soar!
Yes, we can always just delete social media and POOF! Those problems would be gone. But it would also get rid of the positive parts of social media too. So if you’re like me and you don’t want to delete it completely, but you also want to lessen those negative side effects, here are a few tips that have helped me.
If you’d rather watch of video of this info, click HERE for the YouTube version or HERE for the IGTV.
#1: Evaluate What You Want from Social Media
Take some time to think about or journal what you want from social media.
- Why is it that you want to stick around?
- What do you gain from it?
- What do you want to gain from it?
- And, on the flip side, what is it about social media that you don’t like?
- What would you like to eliminate from or at make less prominent about your social media experience?
In order to have a positive experience with social media, we first need to know what it is we truly want and don’t want from it.
#2: Be Intentional
Once you know what you want and don’t want from social media, you can start setting up your media time to reflect that.
- Following people who give you the things you want from social media.
- Unfollowing people who make you feel negative emotions.
- Engaging with the things you like so Instagram knows what to show you more of.
- Having clear goals about when you want to get on the app, when you want to stay off the app, and how long you want to spend on it.
If we’re really intentional with how we use social media, we’re going to have a more positive experience with it.
#3: Check-in with Yourself
Periodically check-in with yourself and your relationship with social media.
- How do you feel before you log on?
- Are you logging on to avoid something, like stress, sadness, or anger?
- How do you feel after you log off?
- Do you need to make any adjustments to your social media plan?
It’s a good idea to check in with yourself here and there to make sure social media is a positive thing in our lives, and to change things up if it’s not.
Your Relationship with Social Media
Social media tries to control us, but if we have a plan, we have more control over it than we think. I believe that if we’re intentional with our social media use, it can be a blessing and positive light for good in our lives. But we do have to be intentional about it.
If you want some more help with your relationship with social media, check out my Confidence in Who You Are Guide! This guide will walk you through how to set boundaries on your social media time so you always walk away from it feeling GOOD! You can get more details HERE.
Do you think that social media is more of a positive or more of a negative in your life? Why? Let me know in the comments below!
Britney is a wife and mom with a passion for helping other women see the good inside of them. She loves podcasts, polka dots, and dancing around the kitchen with her family.