Uh oh. We know a depression spiral when we see one.
Photo: mamamia.com.au
We recently received some wise advice from a helpful friend regarding our social media habits.
Now, we all know that social media is a pretty standard part of our daily routine. We post about our lives, consume others’ opinions and activities, and probably check in with our various feeds more than any of us would like to admit.
But what is that consumption doing for you? Is it helping or hurting?
A great way to measure the health of your social media is to simply ask yourself how you feel after a visit to your Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Did you see something disturbing that made you feel helpless? Did you read a headline that made you feel angry? Perhaps a friend’s “perfect life” made you jealous.
If you’re in the unhealthy camp and you feel a little depressed or weighed down after scrolling through a feed, there are some things you can do to help yourself.
First, consider limiting your activity. A quick check of your feed is like a Russian Roulette of emotions. You never know what news headline or video might cause a whirlwind of negativity. If you’ve experienced too much of this lately, maybe it’s time to take a break. Make a goal or outline your boundaries of your social media consumption. Or, at the very least, ask yourself before opening the app if you are ready to see some gross stuff.
Change your followership. We heard about someone who only follows kittens and puppies on her Instagram. How brilliant is that? If you already follow too many people and don’t want to take the time to manage or reduce, just add in some positive, feel good follows.
Choose to use your phone for something else. It’s proven that having a good laugh each day helps prevent depression. Next time you follow the impulse to pick up your phone, find an SNL clip (or other comedy show) on YouTube to watch. Then let those endorphins work their magic.
We try very hard at The Root Salon to be mindful of our social media impact. We love creating positive posts and hope that we are a value-add to all our followers!
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