This post is less about business and more about mental well-being. Social media can be overwhelming, specifically from a consumer perspective. Being that my job completely relies on social media, I feel constantly bombarded by content. I have friends who have taken social media “breaks” for a days, weeks, even months at a time, but that’s not really an option for me. So I want to share a few things I do to help maintain some sanity for the sake of my mental health and productivity.
News Feed Eradicator for Chrome
This add-on for Google Chrome physically blocks out your news feed and replaces it with an inspirational quote. I cannot tell you how many times I have opened up Facebook on my computer out of habit, not even realizing I did it. This extension is so helpful, keeping me productive and less distracted.
Snooze or Unfollow on Facebook
Did you know that you can “snooze” someone for 30 days? Instead of unfollowing or unfriending someone, you can simply snooze them on Facebook so you won’t see them for a month and once that month is up, they will magically reappear. If you know you want to remove someone for longer than 30 days, then unfollowing or unfriending is still an option. They will not know if you unfollow them, but they may find out if you unfriend them.
Mute on Instagram
Just like you can unfollow someone on Facebook, but still remain their friend. You can mute someone on Instagram, but still follow their account. On someone’s profile, click the “following” button and it will bring up the option to mute them. Click “mute” and decide if you want to mute their posts, stories, or both.
Phone Time Limits
If you go into the settings of your phone, you can set time limits for each app. How amazing is that?! Maybe you want to limit your Instagram time to 30 minutes. If you set that limit on your phone, you’ll get a pop-up letting you know when you’ve used all your time. Then it gives the option for a short extension of time or to remove the time limit for the day. Just having that reminder pop-up is a great way to be more aware of your social media usage throughout the day.
Lastly, don’t feel bad for taking a break from some people. You know what triggers you and what works for someone else might not work for you. That’s okay! The beauty of social media is that we are free to express ourselves and give a glimpse into our lives and the other beautiful thing is that we get to customize our experience on each platform too.
If you have questions about any of these things, reach out to me and I’m happy to help.