Article written by Blog Post Contributor Maria
There are lots of people and things we allow or tolerate in our lives that effect our self-esteem negatively. In this series, I'm going to talk about the 3 surefire ways you can cripple your self-esteem. This first post focuses on the first way, the social media trap.
Nowadays, it’s almost impossible to avoid social media. It’s where you see updates from friends and family, get invited to birthdays, work events, and other social gatherings. Oftentimes, we even learn about the major events going on in the world from new articles on social media. If we’re being honest, sometimes it can get overwhelming.
Social media can be a wonderful tool to keep in touch with new and old friends as well as family near and far. However, it can also cause major problems in your life and how you view yourself. Let's talk about how social media can hurt us.
How Social Media Hurts Us:
1. Time Management – It’s so easy to fall down the rabbit hole and get lost on social media for much longer than you intended. Next thing you know, you’re running late or have lost valuable time in your day, and time is one of your most precious resources.
2. The Jealousy/Comparison Trap – Social media is infamous for being the place where you can be anyone you want to be. People post the best part of their day, week, or month, and in our heads, we may think this is the norm for that person. Perfect meals every day. Wow! That person has their stuff together. Beautiful outfits and hair done. Wow! She is so much more organized than I am. No, not true. We all have the good moments, and we all have daily struggles. The issue is that seeing a post or picture can sometimes trigger us to feel down about ourselves and our lives.
Now let's talk about tips for managing your social media use while keeping your self-esteem intact.
4 Quick Tips to Maintaining Your Self-Esteem:
1. Watch your time spent on social media. Pick a time limit and then set a timer on your phone so that you’re reminded to log off. How much scrolling do you really need to do?
2. Consider taking a social media break. Vow to stay off of social media for a few days or a week. Then see how you feel.
3. Unfollow/unsubscribe/unfriend anyone who posts negative things on social media or who triggers negative feelings for you. Facebook even has a handy feature where you can opt to stop seeing a person's feed rather than unfriend them. It's so important to your self-esteem that you do what you can to block negativity from your life.
4. Subscribe/follow/friend people who inspire and encourage you, whether you know them personally or not. Those are the people you want to have on your feed.
Remember, the more time you spend on social media watching others live their lives, the less time and energy you are putting into making your life the way you want it to be. Focus on your own journey and goals.
Maria Inoa, LCSW
Therapist, Public Speaker, & Blogger
#moms #momlife #women #selfesteem #selfworth #socialmedia #facebook #instagram #pinterest #wellness #mentalhealth #relationships #depression #anxiety #counseling #therapy #Jacksonville #Florida