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How to use social media, according to a mental health expert
Prune
Pruning some “friends” and adding a few motivational or funny sites is likely to decrease the negative effects of social media.
- Information about the lives of Facebook friends affects people more negatively than other content on Facebook.
- People whose social media included inspirational stories experienced gratitude, vitality, and awe.
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Limit your use of social media
Commit to not checking social media during meals with family and friends, and when playing with children or talking with a partner.
Make sure social media doesn’t interfere with work, distracting you from demanding projects and conversations with colleagues. In particular, don’t keep your phone or computer in the bedroom–it disrupts your sleep.
Have “detox” periods
Even a five-day or weeklong break from Facebook can lead to lower stress and higher life satisfaction.
Publicly declare you are on a break. And delete the apps for your favorite social media services.
You can also cut back without going cold turkey: limit your use of social media to 10 minutes a day for three weeks and you'll see improvements in your mental health.
Pay attention to how you use social media
Experiment with using your favorite online platforms at different times of day and for varying lengths of time, to see how you feel during and after each session.
You may find that a few short spurts help you feel better than spending 45 minutes exhaustively scrolling through a site’s feed.
Approach social media mindfully
Do you notice that you get a craving to look at Instagram whenever you’re confronted with a difficult task at work?
Be brave and brutally honest with yourself. Each time you reach for your phone (or computer) to check social media, answer the hard question: Why am I doing this now?
Prune
Pruning some “friends” and adding a few motivational or funny sites is likely to decrease the negative effects of social media.
- Information about the lives of Facebook friends affects people more negatively than other content on Facebook.
- People whose social media included inspirational stories experienced gratitude, vitality, and awe.
Don't replace real life with social media
When used thoughtfully and deliberately, social media can be a useful addition to your social life, but only a flesh-and-blood person sitting across from you can fulfill the basic human need for connection and belonging.
Using Facebook to keep abreast of your cousin’s life as a new mother is fine, as long as you don’t neglect to visit as months pass by.
SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
6
Key Ideas
Have ‘detox’ periods
Schedule regular multi-day breaks from social media.
- Several studies have shown that even a five-day or week-long break from Facebook can lead to lower stress and higher life satisfaction.
- Using Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat just 10 minutes a day for three weeks resulted in lower loneliness and depression.
Pay attention to how you feel
Experiment with using your favorite online platforms at different times of day and for varying lengths of time, to see how you feel during and after each session.
You may find that a few short spurts help you feel better than spending 45 minutes exhaustively scrolling through a site’s feed.
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Key Ideas
Social media
The rise of social media has meant that we as a global population are more connected than we have ever been in the history of time.
...Self-esteem
A study conducted by the University of Copenhagen found that many people suffer from “Facebook envy”, with those who abstained from using the popular site reporting that they felt more satisfied with their lives.
Becoming more conscious of the amount of time you spend scrolling through other people’s online profiles could help you focus more on yourself and boost your self-confidence.
Human connection
It’s so important for us to be able to communicate and forge personal connections with one another. However, it can be hard to do so when we’re glued to rectangular screens, becoming more acquainted with our friends’ digital facades than their real-life personas.
A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology that assessed 5,208 subjects found that overall, regular use of Facebook had a negative impact on an individual’s wellbeing.
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Social media less harmful
Why girls are more affected
In girls, frequent social-media use seemed to harm health when it led to either cyberbullying and/or inadequate sleep and exercise.
But these factors did not seem to have the same effect on boys, and the study didn’t pick up on specific ways that social networks could be harming them.
Balance is important
“It’s about getting a balance between social-media use and other age-appropriate activities, and ensuring that there aren’t specific negative things happening online."