Managing Your Social Media Life
Lately, I have found myself on social media way more than usual. I believe that this could have stemmed from being quarantined for so long and then developed into an unhealthy habit. At least that’s what I like to say. Either way, I am sure that most of you probably feel the same way. Social media can be hard to manage for yourself and at times can be too much.
I run at least 4 different social media accounts for businesses not including my personal and creative accounts, so regardless, I am on social media ALL THE TIME. I really don’t mind utilizing social media for job purposes, but recently I have struggled with social media taking a toll on me. Every week, my phone sends me a summary of my time spent on certain apps and for how long. These weekly summaries have been astonishing to see, and have only increased since I have been quarantined. I also have been watching documentaries on social media and the negative impacts it has on a person. Since all of this, I have started to evaluate my time on social media and whether it truly impacts me in a negative or positive way as well as the information I am putting out.
If you have been stuck on social media and have started to notice the negative impact it has on your life, you can follow these steps to evaluate where you are with social media and to help you better manage your social media life.
- Breathe — This may sound like a simple task, and that’s because it is. Take a second to just breathe and step back from social media. The world will continue spinning. You will be okay.
- Take a break — this means running out and grabbing a coffee for yourself, not using social media for a week, or deleting your social media for a month, do what you have to do. Breaks are good for you and are necessary.
- Get some fresh air — This is so important! Go outside and get fresh air (and obviously social distance while doing it)! Sometimes we get so caught up in work and being on our phones that we don’t even go outside at all for a whole day. I don’t know about you, but if I don’t go outside to take a quick walk, jog, or run, I start to feel suffocated and my focus starts to fade.
- Evaluate how social media affects you — Make a list of all the pros and cons of social media and the effects it has had on your personal life, relationships, and more. If you need to, talk with someone about the effects it’s had on you. This will give you a good idea of how you are affected by social media, and you may not even realize. We are all in the same boat, I can guarantee you.
- Evaluate what you are sharing with others on social media — Look at your own social media and determine if what you are sharing is true information that is either spreading awareness and positivity. I feel like especially being in the time we are, so much of the information on social media is misconstrued and false.
- Figure out your next steps — After you have done the following, figure out where to go next. Do you delete some of your social media apps, take a break from them every once in a while, or post more that provokes positivity and spreading truth?
Even if you have a career that involves social media, you can still follow these steps to better manage your time. By using social media, it gives us a platform where we can spread positivity and make a difference in other peoples lives.
Social media can be good as long as we make it good.
