Imagine you are scrolling through TikTok in bed, you glance at the clock and it is 10pm. Suddenly it dawns upon you: you’ve been scrolling for TWO hours straight. Raise your hand if this has happened to you. Undoubtedly, it’s a situation I’ve found myself in! I can’t help but feel icky knowing I’m letting the time pass by just mindlessly scrolling on socials, constantly consuming content, and jumping from app to app. But what if we could take back control? In this blog post, I’ll be sharing how I am taking back control by prioritizing mindful living and 5 ways I apply it to social media

5 Ways I Mindfully Approach Social Media

Being Mindful of your Social Media Usage

Have you ever stopped and considered how much time you spend on social media a day? Did you know the average American spends 2 hours and 25 min a day on social media a day?! If you are an iPhone user, one way to gain insight on how much time you spend on social media is in your screen time settings. Within this setting you are able to see which apps you spend the most time on. Additionally, you are also able to add a widget to your home screen to ensure your mindfulness surrounding screen time. You’ll also be able to understand where your time goes and how you can make improvements. 

Mindful Living by Setting Time Limits on your Apps

Once you are more mindful of how much time you are spending on social media, the next step is to set boundaries. I limit all social media apps to 30 minutes a day. This is how you set your time limit on apps. Go to settings > screen time, tap app limits, then tap add limit. While it may be tempting to ignore these time limits, and trust me I’ve been there, they serve as a great reminder to be intentional with your social media time.

Prioritizing Sleep

Another way I prioritize mindful living is through taking my sleep seriously. Did you know social media can negatively impact your sleep? According to an article by Business Insider, your brain doesn’t understand the difference between phone light and sunlight. So if you are staying awake to scroll on social media, your brain will recognize it as sunlight and you’ll stop producing melatonin which can affect your sleep cycle and will make it more challenging to fall and remain asleep. Don’t let your phone be the first thing you look at in the morning and the last thing before you go to bed. Set your phone on Do Not Disturb and leave it charging in another room! I noticed that if I checked my phone first thing in the morning, I would commence the day with high anxiety rather than letting the day unfold and start in a relaxing manner. 

Unfollowing and Muting for Social Media Well-being

Our social media feeds can significantly impact our mood and mindset. Have you ever found yourself  envious of someone’s  luxurious trips, and lifestyle? Does it make you feel bad? If so, the key is to unfollow or mute them, depending on the social dynamic. Nowadays it’s easy for anyone to curate a “picture perfect” life on social media and make it seem more glamorous than it really is. Be intentional about who you allow on your feed and don’t get caught in the “rat race” of social media. Personally, I found this particularly helpful for my business. Rather than being envious about the weddings other photographer’s were booking, which was only counterproductive, I made a decision to focus on my own journey and not compare it to another person’s journey. I recognized I would never get to their level if I wasted any time being envious online. 

Mindful Living Through Complete Phone Detox

Finally, consider turning your phone off for one day a month! Ever wonder what life was like before phones and social media? Take a day to completely be off your phone. You’d be surprised how much you might love it — or perhaps not. Personally, I can admit I cannot live without Google Maps for long. But besides that, taking a day off can give you insight on your dependency on your phone and social media. 

In conclusion, mindful living surrounding social media is super important! Setting boundaries such as limiting screen time, prioritizing your sleep, and taking those days off your phone and social media can help all of us regain control of our social media habits and live more mindful!

Let’s support each other on this journey towards greater mindful habits surrounding social media! Find more blogs about mindful living here!

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