Social Media vs. Mindfulness: Can There Be Peace?

In our society, Social Media plays such an important role. If you are a business owner, social media makes it easier to advertise and have an online presence for more customers. There is an inherent goodness to social media because it connects us with people from around the world and opens us up to perspectives that we may have never considered. With the goodness that social media brings, there’s also a downfall that has lasting harm to ourselves. Can Social media and mindfulness be in harmony? Of course, they can! Here are some tips for mindful social media use.

How Social Media Can Damage Your Mental Health

This topic is very personal to me because I had a mental health decline due to social media when I was in my mid-teens. I was using Tumblr, back when it was a staple social platform and I was opened up to so many different things I had never seen before. This was also when Tumblr wasn’t as regulated as Instagram and Facebook so people would post some artfully disturbing images with minimal warning. This was when I was introduced to eating disorders and how people craved to be very thin. It was a difficult time for me to accept who I was because I was comparing myself to these harmful images that had a very lasting effect. I struggled for a while to accept my body the way it was and to know that I was enough for myself and the people that loved me.

Comparisons are a major downfall of social media. Society has become more aware of it as of late, but it doesn’t stop the internal battle going on in the mind.

Influencers make a profit off of being polished in their pictures and having well-rounded and well-traveled lives that other people want. That is how they make their living and it’s great if you view it as an inspiration, but damaging if you use it as a measuring stick for your own life.

Misinformation is also another downfall and it happens to influence a lot of the youth. When someone you look up to is telling you something they believe, it seems as though that person’s belief is the law and no one can change your mind about it.

It’s dangerous for someone to spread misinformation and one would assume it gets filtered out through social media guidelines nowadays, but that’s not always true. This becomes especially true when beliefs are turned into movements. We’ll leave that statement there to rest however, the fact of the matter is that this world can be very consuming and overwhelming, and social media is the personification of that.

Taking Breaks from Social Media

This advice has helped me to take things into perspective. The first time I detoxed from social media, I felt like there was really no purpose in having a cell phone. I saw that I wasn’t getting notifications and every time I picked up my phone, I had nothing to idly do. It forced me to create other habits and also check in on my friends in other ways.

They learned to keep up with me through text and calls as well and I never lost anyone close. It’s important to step away from the apps from time to time. Social media is designed to be consuming and addicting. People spend hours designing the apps so that they stay engaged and interactive so you don’t realize how much time has gone by.

When taking a break, you can decide how long you want your break to be. It can be a week, a month, or even a year. Maybe you find that Pinterest is a lot easier to deal with than TikTok or Instagram and you decide to keep that platform.

There is no rule as to what you have to delete or for even how long. I stepped away from Instagram for a year- twice! I realized I can only deal with that app in doses and not all the time which is okay.

No one is making you do anything you don’t want to do. Take the time to replace social media with something else. If you are out in public and you’re used to scrolling on your phone as you wait for your coffee, maybe strike up a conversation with the cashier or people watch. You live in a colorful and interactive world and nothing can replace that.

Limiting Your Time on Social Media

I have this feature on my iPhone and it is also on Android, where I can limit the amount of time I spend on an app. I can set a timer for an hour or two a day and once the time is up, the app freezes, and I can no longer use it for the rest of the day.

It does still require discipline because I can easily override this feature and continue scrolling for the rest of the day, but it does keep you mindful of the time you spend on your phone. This is a great feature if you’re using social media for business as well because you can maximize your day by focusing on the business and keeping that allotted time down.

Choosing the Narrative

How does Social media fit into your life? Remember, this is an app where people can take a sneak peek at your thoughts and ideas. You have control over what people can see and who you allow into your circle.

If you are still on a journey of self-confidence, that is okay. That doesn’t mean that social media is not for you. You must protect your light and your energy by only surrounding yourself with kind and caring people. You can set your profile to private and enjoy your inner circle of friends and family or you can follow trends that make you feel warm and creative.

Related Article: How to Reinvent Yourself

Though it may seem like social media rules the world, the reality of it is that when you put your phone down, you still exist when social media is off. If everything shut down tomorrow, how would people react? How would you react? If you can answer this question calmly and positively, then you have a great relationship with social media however, if you feel anxious and unnerved about this statement, perhaps you have to look at yourself a bit deeper and set some boundaries between yourself and social media.

Take Away Trail

I’m not perfect in the least bit, I’ve had moments where social media has had more of a hold on me than my peace, but it hasn’t stopped me from finding that harmony. Peace and Social Media can exist together in your life.

It’s important to have that boundary and to remind yourself that social media isn’t the real you. You are the real you and you have the power to change the narrative.

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