3 Critical Ways to Prevent Social Media Anxiety Today

For most people, social media is a bloodsucking leech that—instead of snatching their blood—pinches their mental health.

I’m amazed at how poorly people operate their social media accounts. Everyone understands the significance of a healthy diet and workout regime. Social media, however, is just like your diet. You have to watch your consumption; you have to regulate it.

Of course, social media has benefits. It enables you to stay in touch with people, communicate new ideas to the masses, and meet new people from every corner of the globe.?In addition, social media—even if big tech companies are censoring free speech—allows people to voice their political opinions. In places like Hong Kong, where authorities repeatedly suppress liberties, it gives power to the people rather than global elites.?

However, there’s one major problem in society: most people don’t know how to manage their social media.

The Reality of Social Media and Mental Health Woes

• Depression grew by 21% in boys and 50% in girls from 2012 to 2015. Interestingly, 92% of teens and young adults owned a smartphone by 2015. As smartphone usage increased, mental health issues increased among young people.
• In the United States, eighth-graders who spend over 10 hours per week on social media are?56% more likely to be unhappy, and 59% of teens report cyberbullying and online harassment.
• Child suicide rates?have also grown by 150%, and self-harm tripled in girls aged 10 to 14.

Unfortunately, people won’t stop using social media. I have a Facebook account with fewer than 50 friends and an Instagram account I sometimes use. I keep those social media accounts to stay in touch with people—albeit the few people— I’d like to stay connected with.

Nevertheless, I audit my social media like Australia has audited its borders since COVID-19 (like a tyrant). Here’s how:

1. Delete Irrelevant People RightNow

Why do people have thousands of friends on social media? Many people added thousands of so-called ‘friends’ during their teenage years. You know, at school, college, from the local area, etc, etc. However, we’re lucky to have more than five actual friends during adulthood.?

Here’s the problem: 99.9% of those people have zero connection to you and your future, so delete them right now.

Why would you want to see Billy—the douchebag bully from school—put pictures of his fake life on social media? Some people are still friends with people they hate, but that’s undeserved self-harm.

Delete anyone who adds no value to your life; you’ll thank me in the future.

2. Don’t Try to Boost Your Self-Esteem

Everyone has insecurities in their adult life—including daddy issues, low self-esteem, fear of rejection, trust issues, fear of commitment, etc. Even the mentally strongest people suffer from those common insecurities.?That said, please don’t try and validate yourself on social media; it doesn’t work, and it will make you feel utterly empty.

In my early twenties, I would lift weights because I had poor self-esteem from childhood traumas. I wanted to build muscle to prove to others I wasn’t stupid. So, like millions of other broken people, I would post pictures of my ‘newfound muscles’ on social media hoping for likes and respect. How utterly ridiculous; it’s no wonder I had a nervous breakdown when I was 22.

If you have self-esteem issues, you need to see a therapist. Social media, on the other hand, will screw you up even more. Unfortunately, millions of people use social media as a drug to nurse their confidence issues.

If you’re one of them, you’re losing quickly. You need a therapist, not an Instagram filter.

3. Stop Looking at Other People’s Lives (it’s all b.s)

Social media has become a porn website for people to nosey at other lives; whether that’s celebrities, influencers, or the people they grew up with.

Here’s the cold, hard truth: other people’s lives are irrelevant to you. Historically, when people were happier, they couldn’t look at other people’s lives because there were no social media feeds. Today, you can hop on Instagram and look at some pretentious influencers—with dreadfully filtered pictures—posting ‘cute’ pictures of themselves with their partners. Don’t they look so happy? How sweet!

Yawn.

The awful murder of Gabby Peito—an aspiring social media influencer hellbent on portraying a happy relationship when her partner abused her—proves people will falsify their lives on social media for an image. You only witness the best part of other people’s lives; you don’t witness the reality of their lives.

Limit your friends and the people you follow to a minimum and, most importantly, don’t look at other people’s lives on social media.

Final Thoughts

Those three simple tips will help you handle social media and your mental health. Limit your time on social media, understand that it’s all total B.S., and audit your social media page like your diet.

And guess what?

You’ll be far happier.

I promise.