Before I get started, I want to say that this isn’t about bashing social media. I’m a full time influencer/blogger so social media has allowed me to create a 6 figure business and create some amazing connections with people. However, I understand that for anyone, it’s important to maintain healthy boundaries with social media. Here’s some background about myself. I’m a former teacher and mental health counselor. So, I have a clear understanding of mental health and why it’s important to maintain boundaries. We live in a world where as soon as we pick up the phone, we are opening up the instagram app, tik tok, facebook, etc. and scrolling. There are so many positive benefits to social media. However, it can do harm to your mental health if you don’t create boundaries. So here are 6 tips to maintain healthy boundaries with social media.
Screen Free Sunday
Sundays are all about unplugging, family time, and prepping for the week ahead. I like to limit my screen time and social media on Sundays. It’s important to give yourself permission to unplug from social media for at least 1 day a week. So my tip to you is to pick at least 1 day of the week that works for you and unplug from social media or limit your time on social media. You will definitely feel refreshed after.
Social Media Following Purge
There was a time when I would be very quick to hit that follow button on social media. Then I realized that I only want to follow people that are positive and inspire me in some way. So, I started unfollowing any accounts that don’t encourage, uplift and /or educate me. Also, don’t feel bad if you have to unfollow some people that you know. For your mental health, it’s important to make sure you’re fully aware of what you are consuming when you scroll on social media.
Don’t Compare Yourself
It’s so easy to compare yourself to others that you see on social media. As an influencer/blogger, this is what I know to be true about people on social media. 1). You’re only seeing a small portion of a person’s life on social media. That means you’re not seeing everything that goes on in their daily life, the good, bad, and ugly. 2). You don’t know a person’s full journey to where they are now. You might see a person that has a big beautiful home, but you might not be aware of some of their struggles. No one is perfect. So with that being said, there’s no need to compare yourself to others. You have your own journey. And when you look at others on social media, be inspired and don’t compare your journey to others.
Set App Limits
It might be a little hard to set limits and downtime on social media. I remember the first time I tried to limit my time on social media. It was like a reflex. Everytime, I picked up my phone, I immediately wanted to open up the instagram app. But no worries. Now, most phones have the option to set app limits.
Go to: Settings > Screen Time > “Down Time” and “App Limits”
Take Social Media Vacation
I have seen so many people that don’t set boundaries with social media and mentally it becomes so unhealthy. Don’t allow yourself to get to the point where you want to delete your account or you start becoming unauthentic. Also, if you’re an influencer/blogger like myself, social media can be so frustrating and mentally draining with all the changes. It can also be hard to take those social media breaks because this is our job to be on social media. But, maintaining good mental health should always be a top priority. So I encourage you to intentionally take a social media vacation at least 1 time a year. It can just be for a couple days or a week. Think of it like when people take a family vacation 1-2 times per year.
Turn your phone off when your with family
I always speak about being very intentional about my time. Being intentional about your time is also important for your mental health. During certain times of the day, I like to spend intentional time with my family and I put my phone away and/or turn it off. Usually this is around 6:00pm when my family is preparing to eat dinner. So I encourage you to put your phone down at some point during the day and just be intentional about your time with family. Check out my blog post 6 Habits of an Intentional Lifestyle.
I hope this was helpful! I encourage you to maintain those boundaries as we head into a new year!
XO,
Ashley
