One of our main passions at Art Social House is starting the conversation around social media and mental health. Research is showing a link between declining mental health and overuse of social media. But as business owners and content creators, how can we find balance when so much of our work is on our phones?
There are some great resources and features on social media apps that are being continuously developed to ensure our safety, however as users we have a certain responsibility to control our use, screen times and what we’re seeing. These are some things that we’ve been implementing to help find a balance.
1. SCHEDULE YOUR DIGITAL DETOXES
Let’s start by saying, your social media accounts will not fall apart if you take a little time off! Now, a little louder for the people in the back! From previous experience we’ve found that we’re better off for taking time away from our social media, as we come back with more inspiration, energy and appreciation.
Scheduled detoxes are a great way to hold yourself accountable when trying to find a balance online. Every business owner and content creator will have very different times of year that are busy and require attention. For example, some businesses close over Christmas and New Year so this could be an ideal time for one of your scheduled breaks. However, for other businesses this is the busiest time of year so you’re needing to be on social media for promotion and customer service. Look ahead at your calendar and schedule at least four breaks over the next twelve months, these could be as long as a fortnight, a weekend or a month. Listen to what you think you need.
2. UTILISE QUIET MODES
Most of the social media platforms have now introduced ‘quiet modes’. These are periods of time you can block out in the app to quiet notification settings. You have the ability to set these recurring periods at any time of the day or night but you are still able to enter the app to check for updates. The intention of these settings are to help eliminate distractions and they will reduce the amount of times you enter the apps due to a buzz or ping from an irrelevant notification.
3. TRY THE OPAL APP
The Opal App works similarly to the built in app limits on your phone. However, this app makes ignoring the limit a lot more difficult. In Opal you can opt to create sessions throughout the day to restrict access to the selected apps you find distracting. If you really need to access the selected app you must go via the Opal App, wait some time and then enter the app. This gives you control over when you want to have focused periods of work, wind down time at night or distraction free lunch breaks!
4. UNFOLLOW, MUTE OR BLOCK
Don’t forget that you have the ability to control what you see! The ‘unfollow’, ‘mute’ and ‘block’ features were created to allow users to curate their feeds and protect themselves online. Sometimes friends, family members or colleagues can share content that may be triggering, harmful to your mental health or just annoying! Having the ability to ‘mute’ a user means they will never find out! You can continue following the account but mute their posts, stories or both.
It’s also important to keep in mind that these actions are reversible. Sometimes, life events may affect how you react to certain things on social media. For example, maybe you have been made redundant at your workplace and seeing people you follow share their work triumphs may be triggering you. You have the option to mute these users and you can always come back and unmute them again when you’re feeling up to it.
