It seems like I am always hearing about all the negative things that happen on social media as soon as I tell someone that I am social media marketing coach. It is like social media has become synonymous with bad energy or even worse, it is like it is a bad word. Since I love social media, I listen to the reasons why people do not like social media with an open mind. Yet, I cannot help feeling like if you have enough time to tell me all the reasons why you do not like social media, maybe I could help those struggling with some useful self-care tips.
So, here are some tips on how to take care of yourself when it comes to the world of social media whether you are an entrepreneur or just an everyday user.
It is a choice. The first tip is social media is a choice. In the world of fast-paced news and phone addictions, we forget that social media is a choice. If it is not the right thing for you at the moment, because you are spending too much time on it or you are living in everyone else’s negativity about it, take a break. Our egos would like to think everyone will miss all our status updates, but the truth is we are all bombarded on our newsfeeds, taking a break whether for a few hours to a few days, your friends will probably not even notice. Also, it is not necessary to tell the world you are taking a break.
Restraint of Tongue and Pen. You know when you are scrolling down your newsfeed or looking through your snaps, and you cannot believe the audacity of one of your friends posting what they believe in politically or religiously? You have one of three choices, tell them exactly what is on your mind, keep scrolling, or hide the post altogether. I recommend the one of the latter two. I know you are maybe thinking, but what about opposing discussion, but the truth is, how important is it to be heard? Because even if you are having a discussion, that does not mean the other person or their friends are capable of doing it too. All people on social media are well, so is it more important to be right or be peaceful, because let’s face it, tomorrow you will not remember what your friend posted. Think about it, can you remember everything your friends posted during the election? Probably not.
Write and Erase. I have been so angry before that I have written a scathing status update just to remove the entire thing. It may be therapeutic to get it out, and that part is maybe taking care of yourself, but will it help you to post it? Probably not. A safer bet is to do an online private journal so you can go back and read it later to see if it is something you still want to post. Penzu has a free private online journal if you have to get it out.
Keep it Separate. Many Facebook users do not know that they can separate out their Facebook actions via the Facebook apps. Many times when I speak to Mompreneurs, they want to make sure they are mindful of their children, but then get on social media and forget all about their little loves. If your interests are only in Facebook Groups or your Facebook Business Page, there are apps for that. Make a commitment not to go on your regular newsfeed during the time you are spending with your kids or working on your business. If part of your parenting is your Mom’s group or your business, by all means, get on the right App without all the unnecessary distractions.
Set an intention. I have done enough social media surveys that people spend anywhere from 5 to 8 hours a day on social media. Don’t believe me, start using your phone timer to time yourself from start to finish each time you check a social media app. More importantly, start to track what you were doing on it? You will be fascinated that it might not have been as productive as you might think. Once you realize the amount of unproductive time you spend on social media, write your daily intention of why you are on it. For instance, you could write, I intend to use my social media accounts to compliment the non-profit I am volunteering with this month. Go with the intention to give not to get. Maybe, you want to do a status update, but be mindful of making it send some love and positivity even if you are writing about a difficult situation.
Time Management. Along with setting an intention, set a timer for how long you want to stay on social media to do that intention. We only get one life. When you look back, do you want it to say I spend thousands of hours wasting time on social media? Alternatively, do you want to look back and say, I used social media for the powerful positive tool it is? More importantly, I spent time being there for my children, business, and community.
Going Down Social Media Memory Lane. I do not know about you, but most days I love when Facebook shares memories or visiting TimeHop for a few. I have to be careful because as beautiful as they are, it can give me the illusion that life did not exist before Facebook. It also depending on my mood cause me to stay in the past, instead of what is going on in the present. So, my thoughts on these apps, are don’t check them unless you are in the right mindset.
The Person Next to You Does Not Know More about Social Media than You! Allow me to squash this myth, an unrealistic guilt because you think you should be aware more. Here is another myth that can be crushed that millennials know more about social media than you do. I have worked with millennials, entrepreneurs, CEO’s, teenagers, and parents who have thought the person next to them knows more about this technology thing. The facts are that social media along with the rest of the world of technology is that no one knows everything. So stop giving yourself unnecessary guilt that you are out of the loop of this great big technology secret. If you are not a social media expert or work in the field of technology, it is okay for you to know as little as those around you. In fact, go feel united in the fact it is not necessary to know it all.
You do not know everything about social media just because you know how to use it. My favorite thing to do in the world is teaching others about social media, but I always seem to get that one person who is very suspicious about my knowledge. They appear to be sitting there thinking, what can she possibly teach me? Moreover, just like the person next you does not necessarily know more when thinking you know everything and you are annoyed at your boss for sending you to my seminar, remember this is your ego talking. Be open, because if we are never taking care of ourselves if we think we know everything, sure enough. This idea cannot be any more true of teens on social media. They may know how to use it, but that does not mean they know to take care of themselves on it.
You do not have to be everyone’s friend. I know you some people who see a friend request, and they start an entire conversation in their head about whether or not to accept the person. Please stop the talk, just follow your gut. If you love to friend people, friend them and move on, if you have a system that they have to be friends with x number of your friends, follow your system. If you keep friends in lists, stick them in the right list and move on. What you do not want to do is waste anytime overthinking the process, because at the end of the day, if we were not going to be friends with them in real life, then you do not need to be friends with them virtually only.
The most important thing to remember when it comes to social media is that however you utilize social media, you get to make your rules about it. I love social media, and I can enjoy my intentioned time on it because the rules above are what works for me. What rules would you add or subtract from the list above as parent, entrepreneur, or casual social media user?