Social Media and Mental Health

Well, the science is in and more time spent on social media is correlated with lower life satisfaction, addiction, increased eating and body image concerns, sleep problems and symptoms of depression (sources below).

Womp wompppp…

But hey, social media ain’t all bad. It’s a means to connect with AWESOME people, and I love that we can find valuable information as well. I’m just advocating for a healthy relationship with our Zenon devices, mmkay?

Here are some boundaries you can implement to make more room for the goooood stuff…

1. Turn off all device notifications

Particularly social media & email updates. We really don’t need to know every time a post gets a like or junk mail hits our inbox. You’ll still check your inbox often enough to ensure you don’t miss important emails.

2. Use “Do Not Disturb”

During work, meetings & training. Tame yo monkey brain.

3. Get your phone out of the bedroom

At MINIMUM get it off the nightstand and across the room.

4. Set usage goals

Increase productivity and decrease your anxiety by setting usage limits. Realzd or Screen Time (under Settings for iPhone users) can be programmed to notify you or even block you out of the apps you set limits on.

5. Set start & end times on device use

I’m at my best when I put my phone away from 8:30p to 8:00a. Set your own start/end times through Realzd or Screen Time.

6. #Unfollow

Here’s a test: if you can scroll through 3-4 posts on IG or FB without wanting to like them, you’ve got some pruning to do.

I hope these tips help you discover more calm amidst the chaos, my friends.

http://ftp.iza.org/dp10412.pdf
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/technology-addiction-concern-controversy-and-finding-balance
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27161027
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28934521