You know those days when you’ve been sat refreshing Twitter and Instagram ALL day, usually without even realising it? Or it could be you’re struggling with something and engaging/interacting with others is something you just purely do not have the energy for at the moment? Heres what I do when it happens to me…
TAKE TIME OUT
It’s an obvious one, but the first thing I do is put the bloody phone down. Even better, turn it off. Even if it’s just for the majority of the evening, you need to take a step back. I know when I feel like this I get really bad headaches just from staring at a screen for so long, so maybe try un-winding with a hot bath and enjoying the company of your partner or family for the rest of the day. After some self-care you’ll feel ready to get back online again and see what the Blogosphere is up to.
CURATE YOUR FEED
Now you’ve recovered from the overwhelm but still feeling a little ‘ugh’, you need to start thinking about the people you currently follow. Are they positive influences in your feed or do their pictures trigger something in you? Everyone’s content changes and I don’t think there is anything wrong with unfollowing if you can’t relate to them anymore. If this feels too harsh, you could always send them a kind message explaining where you’re at currently, and that you mean no harm.
Everyone has the control over what THEY want to see. Make sure it’s inspiring, not discouraging.
ESTABLISH BOUNDARIES
The final thing I would advise after feeling social media overwhelm, is to establish boundaries. This can mean choosing a specific time that you allocate only to engaging with others, and then logging off and getting on with the rest of your day. I know that I for one have to be quiet strict with myself sometimes so I don’t fall down the hole again, so I try to not scroll before bed and read a book, and will sometimes leave my phone at home if I’m going out for a few hours so I’m not distracted by it.
At the end of the day I think social media is a luxury for us all, and it should add to our lives and enhance it, not subtract and make us feel bad, tired or drained.
You are in charge.
Do you ever feel social media overwhelm?