Is It Time to Limit Our Social Media Usage?
By Stephen R. Farris
When it comes to your mental health, you might consider backing away slowly from social media. According to research, 79 to 83 percent of respondents felt their anxiety, loneliness, and depression increased due to negativity on social media.
Couple that with having to deal with everyday situations, such as work, school, commuting, kids, and other things that affect our daily lives. But you can make some changes to help lessen the negative effects, at least from social media.
Try Other Things to Help You Relax
Some people use social media for relaxation, but that relaxation can turn negative pretty quickly, especially with news feeds available on nearly every social platform. Instead of grabbing your phone and getting on social media, consider doing something different for a change to relax, such as listening to music, going for a walk, spending time with your dog or cat. For kicks and grins, break out the old photo album or school yearbook, or get efficient by creating your favorite culinary delight in the kitchen.
Make In Person Connections
Social media has become the norm when it comes to interacting with friends, family, and co-workers. It's still not the same as making those in-person connections, though. Instead of sending that text, personal message/direct message, or commenting on someone's post, invite your friends or family to your place for an evening of fun and games, or meet them at your favorite bar or restaurant and spend time with them in person. You can still communicate through social media, but you should also make time for physical communication as well.
About Those Memes and 30-Second Videos
Most folks use social media to view memes and/or those 30-second videos that are available on several social media platforms. Sure, they're funny. I get that. But instead of spending hours using those methods to entertain yourself, try something a little more constructive like reading a book, learning to play a musical instrument, learn how to dance, hiking, joining a yoga or tai chi class, or visiting a museum. There are plenty of things you can do to substitute time spent watching things on social media, and most of them are better for your mental well-being.
Limiting your time on social media can improve your mental health and, by doing so, it will leave you with time to spend on more constructive things in your life.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Burnsville, Minn.