4 Sneaky Ways To Use Social Media Without Being Destroyed By It
Social media can complement your life and work, or it can destroy you.
Photocreo, Olga Murasheva, filadendron | Canva Social media can complement your life and work, or it can destroy you.
Platforms like Twitter have given me a lot over the years, from clients and customers to new friends, jobs landed, and thousands of lessons learned. In my sixteen years of using social media, I have also experienced its downs. It’s made me depressed; I’ve been addicted; It has made me furious.
We can use social media as a tool to drastically improve our lives, or we can allow our mental health to suffer because of it.
Here are 4 ways to use social media without letting it destroy you:
1. Understand that it isn’t social media that’s the problem.
It’s your interpretation in your mind that creates your stress. Social media can’t harm you. It is an illusion that the words you see can in any way affect you.
Your thoughts, however, can. How we interpret the words and images we see makes all the difference. If we allow ourselves to ruminate on something we come across, we are creating our suffering. If we breathe, make a point to avoid that kind of content in the future (mute button), and let go of the thoughts, we will be ok.
We cannot be harmed when we refuse to entertain ugly thoughts.
2. Realise that other people on the Internet do not have the power to lower your self-esteem or self-worth.
How?
Because neither of those things is real. ‘Self-esteem’ is a made-up concept in our minds. We are limitless beings. We are already happy and whole. As such, there’s nothing anyone can do or say to change this.
When others criticize me online, I know I can’t be hurt, but I also know that these people are always projecting their insecurities on me.
Nowadays, I more often feel sorry for a hater rather than making it unnecessarily about me. Knowing I can’t be hurt helps me stay resilient and optimistic.
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3. Use social media as an opportunity to develop your spiritual practice.
Wait, what?
I’m talking about noticing your emotional experience as you use social media. Be aware of how it changes as you interact with new people and different ideas.
Instead of being affected by things you don’t like, see how you can use being triggered as an opportunity to develop your sense of peace. This is perfecting the art of non-resistance.
Every time you let go and breathe through something that affects you, you open up in character. You are growing, and becoming more resilient. Social media is your opportunity to develop monk-like non-resistance.
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4. Use social media as a mental playground to improve your focus.
Most of us use social media in a way that unravels our focus. However, you can see it in a different, more beneficial way. Set a target for how you will use social media each day.
15 minutes to write comments on other accounts in the morning, for example.
Now, when you’re on social media, this is your moment to stay in line or allow yourself to be distracted. Every time you wander, you give yourself another opportunity to improve and grow mentally for another time.
This is all about being more deliberate about using these tools and growing as you get better and better at using them.
Social media can be used for a lot of good. They are vital tools for networking, audience — and business growth, for example.
However, we can use them unconsciously — to our detriment — or we can exercise our resilience and strength as we use them.
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Alex Mathers is a writer and coach who helps you build a money-making personal brand with your knowledge and skills while staying mentally resilient.