What do you do when what you do for a living is possibly hurting your mental health? That’s a question many social media professionals are facing right now, and there’s no great answer.
I know I’m not the only one who has looked longingly as friends have talked about digital detoxes or when they have talked about minimizing their social media usage. There are days where that kind of life just sounds wonderful. But eventually I remember why I do what I do, and I get back to it harder than ever.
However, there is more that you can do than letting it build up over time and then pull yourself out of the hole you dug. Because it doesn’t ever have to be that way. So let’s take a look at how it can be.
Keep your hands busy
When my business was still new, I was on social media constantly. I worried that I could lose my clients at any second, so I overworked. I knew it wasn’t healthy but it was the only thing that helped my anxiety. And I liked being kept busy.
On a whim, I took up crocheting. It wasn’t connected to work at first. I just liked creating and this ended up being a great outlet for that.
But as I continued, I realized it was absolutely connected to work. My hands were busy, so I couldn’t constantly check social media like I had been before. And being offline while doing something that didn’t fully need my brain gave my brain the opportunity to wander. That wandering became vital to my coming up with new ideas for clients. So it became a habit to pick my hook and some yarn every time I needed to problem solve.
This breathe away from social media is always good for your mental health and for your work. If you’re not good at doing it on your own, do what I did and find something to keep your hands busy. Obviously you should enjoy whatever it is and bonus points if it’s something that gives your brain a bit of a break. You’ll find you’re coming back to your work more refreshed and better capable of handling your projects.
Get out around people
When it’s warmer out, I go to our urban garden every Thursday afternoon. My daughter runs around with kids her age, and I sit with the parents to just chat about life. And when we need our chats a little more than usual, one of the people running the program at our garden takes over watching our kids. It’s glorious.
Why do I have this activity written in pen on my schedule every week? It’s the one activity my daughter does where I can relax and not keep my eye on her at all times, which means it’s the one activity where I can talk to other moms and dads. And when we all talk, we all feel a little more normal and like we might be able to get through whatever we’re going through.
That’s the same with social media. If you get out around friends or even other social media consultants for chats, you will feel more normal. You likely will also get a mental health boost from these chats as you realize you’re not the only one going through something. You might even get some ideas on how to get through it with your sanity in tact. And that’s probably the most valuable part of just getting out around others.
Redesign how you use social media personally
So many people take a passive role when it comes to their personal social media use, but you absolutely can be active. If you don’t like what’s happening during your personal social media sessions and feel like it’s affecting you, then fix it.
Get rid of any account that makes you feel bad. If it’s a friend’s account, you can always mute them to preserve the relationship. But it’s not a part of your friend duty to let anyone make you feel bad. So be absolutely ruthless when it comes to who you get rid of. If you find you’re truly missing them later on, you can go back to follow them. Unfollowing is not a forever kind of thing.
And then go on a following spree. Find any account that might energize you, whether it’s a passion you want to learn more about or just a vibe that you enjoy. Just go crazy finding accounts to audition for your feed. Because it is an audition. If you don’t feel energized by your feed, just get rid of anything that is draining you.
Going through a few cycles of this should get you to a social media feed that works for you. If it doesn’t, be more ruthless and remember that no one sees your feed except for you.
How are you protecting your mental health while working in social media?