By Sarah Wylde

It is hard to remember life without social media and the issues that come along with it. What we see is not always an accurate representation of other’s lives. Most of us use it to connect with family and friends that live far away from us and to follow those in the public eye that we are fans of and admire.  But somewhere along the way, the purpose of these platforms – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc., became lost and twisted. Now social media has people comparing their lives with others, fear of missing out if they are not continually checking, and more. That is where practicing social media mindfulness comes in handy.

Mindfulness is the answer to social media and the addiction that we have with it. Mindfulness is a technique where you are aware of the world around you and can focus and observe the moment. You use your senses, energy, and focus when engaging in activities. Mindfulness has evolved along with that of social media and the impact it has on us and youth.

There are multiple things that we can do that help us when using social media that also incorporate the practice of mindfulness. Including not logging in and using it every day. Take the occasional break away and practice self-care. Take the time to think about how the social media app is making you feel. How we feel is important and makes us happier and builds our confidence, not just when we are online.

When getting ready to be active on the platform you are on, here are a few tips.

Before you post:

Set your intentions, take a deep breath, and remind and tell yourself that you will have a positive experience. Use a screen timer or another app that is designed to track how you use your phone and how long you have been on.

Clean up your feed:

Unfollow people that regularly post harmful content and follow positive people and pages. Go through your friend’s lists. We all are guilty of accepting friend requests from those that we don’t know. Having more followers or friends does not mean you are successful.

When you post:

As cliché as this is going to sound, be yourself. As you hit the publish button, do not think about how many likes you will or will not get. Some of those accounts pay for those likes. It is not a realistic portrayal.

Until next time, take care of yourselves and remember, technology does not define us.

Sarah Wylde