Social Media and Mental Health balance

[DavideFitbit]

As it happens with many things in life, finding balance is usually the key to success, not just in one specific area of our lives, but it all of them. 

I've tried to distance myself from Social Media as much as I can in recent years, but I've come to understand that they're here to stay and it's become part of human interaction in modern society. The question is How do we find the balance, so we stay in control? 

Moderation is a commitment to balance. It involves finding strategies and habits that can be maintained over the long-term, without cycling between one extreme and the other.  

Feel free to share any tips about the things that you do to set boundaries with social media or any activities that you do when you're not "Online". 

[DramaQueenDiva]

I only interact really with social media posts that are useful to me or to keep in touch with long-distance family members (we're spread out all over the country and Canada).  I usually post in threads that are Fitbit related, job-related, Ukulele related, musical theater related, or cruise related.

Then if it's something useful, I try to practice that skill, usually just because I'm curious.  For the ones that are job related, I work in the Recreation field, so I tend to spend my time planning about how we could adapt the ideas I see online.  For the musical theater, Ukulele, and cruise related threads, those hobbies take me to my happy place!

[DavideFitbit]

That's a great advice, @DramaQueenDiva! I try to stay as far away as possible from negative content and participate more on forums or Communities about topics that I find interesting and positive. 😀

[emili]

@DavideFitbit I think one has to understand what social media is and what it isn't. It isn't a news source or a conspiracy theory outlet. It isn't the guru to solve all of life's problems. It is a way for people to feel social without physical interaction. Similar to this community. We all share experiences, successes and struggles, but by no means do I accept medical advice from here or put more weight on something someone says that doesn't align with my belief or thought process. Places like facebook or Insta- I use for recipes, pictures of pets, kids and happy occasions. I use it to see who is brewing what beer or what local band is playing where so I can plan our weekends. I use it to connect with friends I don't see often but am interested in their lives. Everything else, is not for me. I will block, report, remove, etc. I also do not go on my phone during an actual human interaction. There is nothing that interesting going on anywhere- not even the most intense game of words with friends. And after 8PM every night, there is no phone or laptop. It is decompress time with my daughter, pups, snacks and brain sucking TV that removes us from reality. 

[DavideFitbit]

Thank you for sharing, @emili!! It's definitely important to prioritize direct human interaction, rather than interactions on social media. 

Something that I didn't do when I first started to use Facebook was to block or silence all negative content, but I consider it to be a very useful tool now. 😎

[DennisMay]

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@petrivn wrote:

We should all learn to use social in the way it will benefit ourselves. Nowadays social media is a part of our life. People should not overdo the use of social media in order to avoid negative impacts, such as increased risk of anxiety or depression. Social media has gone beyond just connecting with friends. It’s now an industry in itself, used for all kinds of purposes. Social platforms are a key part of digital marketing, as they can be used to communicate brand news and messaging. People also use them for business networking. Thanks to modern technologies, it became easier to control your online business. There are tools that help to interact with your audience and boost sales on social media. I'm personally using this one - https://onlypult.com/products/builder and I can strongly recommend it.

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totally agree with what you say! social media should be used for good only 😉

[DavideFitbit]

Completely agree, @petrivn! They should definitely be beneficial in our lives, not the opposite.  

[healthy2022]

Social Media can feel like a trap sometimes honestly. It's what they call a "highlight reel" where people post the good, avoid the bad, and the in-between. It's so easy to become insecure in a lot of things, especially if you're in a tough place or mental spot. This is why I generally avoid social media as a whole.

[DavideFitbit]

Thank you for sharing that, @healthy2022, it's definitely one of the risks. Whenever we use Social Media, we can't help to compare ourselves to others, and this can have a negative impact on our mental health if we're going through a difficult time. 

[royjason96]

I am here to get some tips on loosing weight. I have started with Expressive Therapy For Depression

[DavideFitbit]

Hi, welcome to the Community forums, @royjason96! Thank you for sharing your journey here in the Community, you'll see that many users have been able to achieve their goals and I'm sure you'll find the motivation too. 😀  

Here are some threads of the discussion forums where you can find many people to add as friends: 

• Looking for Fitbit Friends? Find some here!
• Come say hi & introduce yourself

Let us know about your progress. 😁