Imagine you are sitting in a car on autopilot and it is turning down a heavily polluted road which could damage your health. Wouldn’t you want to take control of the wheel and avoid it? Let’s say the car represents social media: your level of awareness will impact whether you take control of the wheel.

Social media is widely-known to be associated with increased levels of depression, anxiety, stress and a lower self-esteem. At the same time, social media can also be a lot of fun and a great way to connect with the world. Knowing this, why not make a conscious effort to enjoy the good aspects and avoid the bad? Every time social media is having a negative impact on your mood and your thoughts, this can have a knock-on effect on other aspects of your life and how you go about your day. Being in a good place mentally allows you to be your best self and this is when you can get the most of your daily life experiences.

How can you best limit the negative impacts of social media?

It’s simple: the better you understand yourself, the more you can be conscious of social media’s impact on you. This does require taking a moment to reflect and answer a few questions. Some of these will include:

  • What do you like about social media?
  • What inspires you?
  • What would you like to get out using it?

Having a clear idea of this can help you be more conscious of how you engage , and to cater your account to reflect more of what you want. On the flipside, you also have to answer some questions of the opposite nature:

  • What do you dislike about social media?
  • What tends to lower your mood?
  • Is there any person or page with irritates or annoys you?
  • Most importantly, why do these things bother you? (We have to be really honest with ourselves!)

These questions will help you to be conscious of the things which have a negative impact on your mood and wellbeing, and to understand if there’s something deeper which you might want to take action on.

You can download the full list of questions here.

The Classic Tips for Limiting the Negative Impacts of Social Media

Different things will work for different people as it depends on what you use your social media accounts for and how much of an impact it has on your wellbeing.

1. Turn off notifications

The majority of notifications you receive on social media are not life threatening or urgent. You do not need to be informed of everything 24/7. Social media is an addictive tool and it was designed to be that way. Turning off notifications is one way to free your mind and minimise the distractions. It can help people feel less anxious and reduce the temptation to be continuously clicking on everything you see. It also helps to increase your productivity in a day by being able to concentrate better. You decide when you want to engage with social media.

2. Audit your account

Who are you following? Are the accounts you follow in line with what you want from social media? Are you following any accounts which lower your mood, self-esteem or promote something negative? It’s good to unfollow accounts as you notice the negative thoughts or feelings which accompany them. You can take some control over what you feed your brain on social media.

3. Use the mute story and post function

There are just some accounts, whether this is a page or someone you know, which can irritate or annoy you in some way. If you don’t want to unfollow the account (in a scenario that this is someone you know and have no hard feelings towards), muting is such a beautiful thing. You do not have to see any posts or stories and can unmute at any time if you want to revert back!

4. Gain a deeper understand of yourself

The questions above are a great place to start. You’ll need to know and understand your triggers to audit your account. You’ll also need to understand what you like and want to get out of social media to cater your account towards this. In addition to this, you’ll need to be aware of when it’s best to avoid social media altogether due to the mental space you’re currently in. Avoid scrolling through social media when you know you’re feeling low or not in the best mental space.

5. Social Media Detox

Lastly, I would highly recommend a social media detox to gain back control. If you feel that social media is taking a toll on you or if you are spending an unhealthy amount of time on the apps, you can take a break. This can be done by temporarily deleting the app or deactivating your account for a day, a week, a month or as long as you like. Taking a pause helps to break bad social media habits and thought processes. If you have a Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), you will see this fade away as the days go past. You can then come back feeling refreshed with some new boundaries on how you interact with social media. Gain back your control and get what you want from using these platforms.

We are all human and there will likely still be moments when social media can lower your mood. But a difference can be made when you acknowledge that it’s happening, know why certain things are triggering you and have your personal set of strategies to recentre yourself. We have to remember that social media is only a projection of people’s lives which may or may not be accurate. Social media encourages unhealthy comparisons within a false reality. This is why it is important to be mindful of this and make a conscious effort in caring for your mental health.

We are all created to be different and to look different. You are beautifully and wonderfully made with so much to offer the world. There’s only one you and no one has the same exact combination of experiences, skills or talents. Own your uniqueness and be your authentic self, as this is how you can thrive. Don’t let social media dictate your greatness or worth. Let’s take care of our mental health and be in the driving seat of our social media accounts (off autopilot mode of course!).