How to Protect Your Mental Health and Be On Social Media
Every now and then, I have to unfollow and hide some people, pages, and ads on my social media for the benefit of my own mental health. This is one example of setting boundaries for yourself. We must be proactive in protecting our mental health. What we consume with our eyes and ears is just as important (if not more!) than what we consume with our mouths.
I don’t know about you, but I can be having a good day, feeling confident and productive, only to see someone post their own accomplishment while looking all put together, and I can shift to feeling like I’m not doing enough and don’t even look good while I’m being a slacker!
Then there are the ads that pop up with a product that will change my world, and I’m looking at spending money I never intended to spend that day.
Things we read and see can trigger feelings of comparison, loneliness, shame, anxiety, and envy, just to name a few. Other times, what we see and read can send us down rabbit holes wasting valuable time that we could be doing something else or nothing at all. (And doing nothing is very valuable too! Do you have trouble sleeping or falling asleep? Are you on your phone at night? I guarantee there’s a connection!)
So, how do you trim your social media feed? In general, you can limit your time on social media and the internet. Set a timer. Set a certain number of times a day you will log on. But specifically, I want to walk you through a couple of different ways you can make your social media feed a healthier place to be.
Find the three dots at the upper right hand of any post or ad, and click on them. (Reminder: If a post says “sponsored,” that is an ad. The company or the person, plan, or program paid money to get that post in your feed. Essentially, it’s a commercial on social media.) Ok, so you’ve clicked on the three dots. A drop down menu will appear. You’ll have several options.
If this person is sharing things that are not helpful to you, but you don’t really want to unfriend them, you click “unfollow ______.” You will stay friends with the person, but they will no longer show up in your feed.
Your mental health matters. Take these steps to protect your mental health while being on social media. Share on X
If it’s an ad, when you click on those three dots, you’ll have the option to “hide ad.” When you click on that, it’ll ask you why. I usually choose, “irrelevant” or “repetitive,” but there are a few other choices too.
If it’s a page, you’ll click the three dots and “unfollow page.” Then you’ll stop seeing posts from that page.
On Instagram, you go to those same three dots in the upper right corner, and you’ll get a similar drop down menu. On Instagram, people don’t know who unfollows unless they have an app to track it. So you can “unfollow,” or you can “add to favorites.” Adding to favorites puts that person at the top of your feed. You can have 50 of these accounts, so you will see those posts more often and at the top of your feed.
Now, I’m not very tech-savvy, but doing those things have helped to clean up my social media feed and make it a better place for me to be. When I log onto one of the apps, things I want to see show up. Things that make me feel good or are helpful show up.
I run an online business. I have to be online. I want to connect with people online. I’m grateful for the opportunity to do so, but I also know that it is important to protect my own mental health, and I want you to protect yours as well. One of the first things that I tell the women who join my Faith and Fitness Support and Accountability Community is that I don’t want them on Facebook all day. Yes, most of the coaching happens in a private Facebook group, but check-ins are posted once a day. I encourage them to choose a time each day to check in but not to worry that they’ll miss something because I won’t be posting several times a day. We connect via weekly emails and zoom calls.
So, who should you follow? That depends on what makes you feel good and what you find helpful. Below are a few of my favorite accounts to follow. These are Instagram accounts. They may have pages on Facebook, but I mostly use FB for following friends and family and for showing up in the Facebook groups that I lead, so you’ll have to pick those people that you like keeping up-to-date on. Here are a few of my Instagram suggestions:
- Dynamic Catholic – They regularly post thought-provoking quotes.
- Eats2Know – My friend Dana posts valuable health and wellness information.
- Today Show – News and entertainment info
- thenutritiontea – nutrition with a splash of humor or sarcasm
- milknhoneynutrition – Mary Ellen has the best tips for living and eating well with diabetes, but everyone can benefit from her nutrition information.
- charlotte.a.tucker – This child actor has some really cute stuff that will make you smile.
- healthyphit – Dr. Lisa is a body image coach, and she has some great messages about living comfortably in your own skin.
- eatthegains – easy, yummy, healthy recipes
- DrMaryClaire – menopause education
- projecthappiness_org – mental health resources
- Of course, your favorite sports team and/or mascot and local places that you enjoy visiting. Go Colts!
One thing to remember: Protecting your mental health is way more important than worrying about what someone might think if you’re no longer following their social media posts. You matter, and your mental health matters!
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