Are You Practicing Self-Care On Social Media? Take The Free Quiz!

Social media has become a huge part of our daily lives. For some of us, our phone screens are the first thing we see in the morning and the last thing we see before we fall asleep at night. There are lots of benefits to social media, but it can be detrimental to our happiness and mental health if we aren’t using it mindfully. Self-care has become a huge buzzword in so many other aspects of our lives. But your online life needs some TLC too. How can you practice self-care on social media? And how can you use it to protect your mental health online?

Before we dive in, try the free quiz below to find out how your social media usage might be affecting you, and how much you’re already doing to combat those negative effects. Then scroll down to read my tips to add more self-care into your scrolling routine!

Regardless of which category you fall into, our relationship with social media affects all of us in some way. Here are my top tips for practicing self-care on social media:

1. Make your time on social media sites more purposeful

We’ve all done it – one minute you’re logging on for a quick check-in, and before you know it you’ve spent an hour scrolling mindlessly through your feed. There’s nothing wrong with zoning out on social media occasionally – but if you’re trying to incorporate more social media self-care into your life, it’s important to make your scrolling more mindful.

Start checking in while you’re spending time online. How is the content you’re consuming affecting you? Is it bringing you joy or keeping you informed? Is it necessary for your business or brand? If the answer is no to all of those questions… Then why are you doing it in the first place?

2. Remember that no one’s life looks like their Instagram feed

Instagram is a highlight reel. It’s easy to look at someone’s social media feed and think that they’ve got perfect outfits, perfect relationships, and a perfect life. But just like no one’s real life looks like Instagram, most Instagram accounts don’t look like real life.

If you’re falling into that comparison trap online, try following some accounts that paint a more realistic picture of their life. Adding some realistic content in between all the perfectly curated snapshots has been a really helpful form of self-care on social media for me.

Recommended Post: These 3 Instagram Struggles Are Destroying Your Self Esteem + How to Overcome Them

3. Unfollow anyone who doesn’t add value to your feed

Whether it’s a toxic old friend from high school or a celebrity that’s promoted her detox tea one too many times, there is plenty of negativity online. For me, a big part of self-care on social media is unfollowing those negative accounts – and replacing them with uplifting content instead.

Some other reasons you might want to click unfollow:

• They’re racist, sexist, or homophobic
• They post about topics that make you uncomfortable
• You don’t know them in real life or don’t talk to them anymore
• They make posts with the intention of causing drama online
• Most of their posts are negative or depressing

But at the end of the day, the reason doesn’t matter. Your social feed is your curated little corner of the internet. If someone is posting content that doesn’t align with the environment you want to scroll through, unfriending or unfollowing is an important (and necessary) act of social media self-care.

4. Remind yourself that your worth has nothing to do with your online presence

Social media was literally designed to make us obsessed. Our obsession is their profit – and they don’t care about the impact that social media has on our self-esteem and self-worth in the process.

Getting follows and likes sometimes gives us that little rush of dopamine that our brains crave, and we convince ourselves that those metrics are the only way to get those happy chemicals. But that’s not true! There’s so much more to life than getting validation online. Some other ways to reaffirm your value that don’t involve social media:

• Keep a journal of your proudest accomplishments
• Take time to notice all the love you receive from your family, friends, significant other, and pets
• Volunteer in your community
• Practice positive self-talk

Recommended Post: 7 Daily Habits That Will Boost Your Body Image + Self-Esteem

5. Take some time away from social media

The ultimate form of self-care on social media is actually knowing how to take time away from social media when we need it. Whether that’s cutting back or taking a full hiatus, stepping back from your socials can do a lot of good for your mental health.

Apps like Space, Flora, or Flipd are great ways to monitor and limit the time you’re spending on your device. Why not challenge yourself to log off completely on certain days of the week, or give yourself certain rules around when or how you’ll let yourself scroll (maybe you try only looking at Instagram on your computer instead of your phone, or keeping your device out of your room while you sleep).

I know my relationship with social media is far from perfect. I sometimes spend too much time online, or get a little too obsessed with my metrics and follower counts. But the first step is recognizing that social media might be causing problems in your life – and I know that it does in mine.

Adding a little more self-care to your social media routine can make social media work for you rather than against you. And in a world where we are spending more and more time plugged in, that is more important than ever.

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What was your social-media IQ on the free self-care on social media quiz? How do you like to take care of your mental health online? Let me know in the comments below! And take this as your reminder to turn off the screen for a while, stretch your legs, and get a drink of water. You deserve self-care, both off and online! All my love,