6 Ways to Change your Relationship with Social Media to make 2022 the Year of Self-Care

I don't know about you, but I can get in pits of endlessly scrolling and scrolling and scrolling. Social media gets in the way of so many things. My quality time with loved ones, my sleep schedule, my confidence, my self-esteem, my goals, etc.etc.etc. In fact, just during this last paragraph, I have looked at my phone four times–only to see that mom has liked my last four Instagram photos. Enough is enough.

I am tired of feeling stagnant in my growth and feeling emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausted. Technology and social media should be a connective tool, not a destructive crutch. This is how I am going to change my relationship with social media to make 2022 the year of self-care, rest, and rejuvenation.

CONTROL OVER SOCIAL MEDIA

Choose your poison. Mine is Instagram. For you, it may be Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, or Snapchat. Or maybe all of them.

Start with the social media you frequent the most and do the following:

1. Mute unwanted stories or posts

This is a perfect temporary fix for an account that you don't want to unfollow, but you need some space from. It could be a friend, or a coworker, or even a celebrity. If you find you are getting in unhealthy headspaces–if that is jealousy, hurt, or annoyance–just mute them. And when you are ready, you can undo it. They don't know you mute them, and it is the perfect way to still have a social connection while distancing yourself. This really helps with 'out of sight, out of mind.' I have done this to celebrities, exes, and even my sisters at times. The peace is PRICELESS!

2. Block your exes

Just do it. It doesn't need to be seen as a negative thing–like you ended on bad terms or you are purposely trying to hurt them. It is just genuinely helpful to move forward. Our parents didn't have a way to get a play-by-play of their ex's lives. Most of the time, they never had to see their ex ever again. But torturing yourself seeing them date other people, or get the job or house that you could have enjoyed together, has no benefit on your life. It isn't mean. Just block them. If you want to send them a message before explaining the reason you are doing it, they should respect your desire to have a healthy future. And if they don't... well probably a good thing you're not with them anymore. Cause they sound pettttty.

3. Unfriend accounts that don't serve you

If you really don't want to see someone else's posts anymore. BYE! Not just who you follow, but your followers too. If you find that someone from middle school keeps liking your photos and you don't care to have their name pop up on your screen anymore, unfriend them. You don't need to have a foot in your past all the time. Go through them all, and if you haven't talked to them in years, and don't care to watch their life, unfriend them. It's not rude. It's ok.

4. Follow Accounts that inspire you

Social media can be very inspiring and make communities of like-minded people. If you like baking, google some baing accounts. Explore your hobbies and interests with social media being a tool. I really enjoy cooking, DIY, and music posts, and finding accounts that get me excited about my hobbies really makes my social media experience an inspo rather than a time-waster. Plus I have met some pretty cool people along the way.

5. Manage your time on social media

There are time management apps that really help how you use your socials. You can set up how much time it allows you in an app in a 24-hour span before it kicks you out. This prevents you from wasting time and makes your social media browsing intentional. If you don't want to commit to an app, you can always ask your peers to keep you accountable. Make small goals for yourself and share them with people you spend time with for support. It could be as simple as not wanting to check your phone while sharing meals with people. For me, I ask my boyfriend to keep my phone on his side of the bed at night so I don't endlessly scroll into the night.

6. If need be.... delete the app (or account) altogether

There comes a time when you have to admit a goodbye. You don't need to completely delete your account if you don't want, but sometimes just deleting an app for a while can help you move on with your life. Last week, I deleted Snapchat. I've had it for years and barely use it as a main line of communication anymore. I would check it incessantly to see stories but rarely would send anything back. It was a time waster and only added to my FOMO. So I got rid of it. I also got rid of Facebook a few years back and haven't regretted it for a second. If you find that you have another account to check, just for the sake of checking it, maybe it is time to let go.

LET'S GET SOME REST

A big part of my growth and rest stems from letting go of the past in order to make room for the future. Cutting out social media noise from people or accounts that restrict my growth and rest need to go. I want social media to be an inspiration, a scrapbook, and a community. I don't want it to be an unhealthy flashback to a decade ago and a place where I waste time and emotional energy. These are ways I am going to change my relationship with my socials in order to get some much-needed R&R. Hope you can too in 2022.

xoxo,

Flora