Social media habits

One of the best things I ever did for my mental health was vastly reducing how much I use social media and with the new year approaching, I have been thinking more and more about how certain social media habits can be detrimental.

1. Scrolling Aimlessly

Overindulging in other people's posts and scrolling aimlessly through your feed or timeline is rarely a good idea when you're in a dark and lonely place. So please don't do it as you may find yourself comparing your life to a stranger's highlight reel, which is likely to worsen your mood.


2. Overusing Filters

Filters are fun here and there but become problematic when you find yourself relying on them and plagued with dysmorphic thoughts.


3. Expecting More

When posting on social media, post for your own sake, post the picture because you like it not because you think it will get a healthy number of likes because when it doesn't...you may find yourself disappointed and that's not a cute feeling.

4. Preeing The Toxic

Don't watch that story, don't click on their profile, just don't do it if you know there is a chance what you come across may upset you. Sometimes what you don't know can't hurt you which is why you should not follow accounts and interact with people on social media that will trigger you.


It's easy to lose the social aspect and get lost in the artificial two dimensional world of social media and whilst I think social media is great, it's still relatively new and we're unsure of the long-term effects of using it, only now are we seeing links between social media and body dysmorphia, depression and anxiety, especially amongst young people. So please be mindful of your screen time, who you're following and what you post.