Is Social Media Bad for Us? My Take as a Mindset Coach

We’ve all heard it before - “Social media is BAD for us”, “Social media is TOXIC”.. But is that really true? As a Mindset Coach who has used social media to create far more good than bad in my life, I have an opinion on this.

Social Media plays such a huge role in our lives - from providing a source of personal connection to friends and family, operating our businesses, making new connections, shopping and even dating - it’s hard to picture a world without social media. With that being said, I believe that there is a positive way and a more negative way to use social media and it’s our responsibility to make sure that we are using social media in a way that is beneficial for us.

If you want to use social media in a positive way, it all comes down to setting an intention for your social media usage and making sure that you’re using social media in a mindFUL way instead of a mindLESS way. 

When used mindlessly, social media can lead to creating negative thought patterns, comparing yourself to others, negative self-talk, gossip and information overload which leads to stress and anxiety. When used mindfully, social media can be used to actually positively improve your mindset, mood and happiness.

Many of us don’t realize the impact that our social use can have on our mood, well-being and mindset. A lot of people don’t think about the potential negative effects of using social mindlessly, but if we just make a conscious effort to protect ourselves and our well-being when using it, that can make all the difference. When we use social mindfully, we can start reaping all of the positive benefits of using it!

By now you may be wondering: Is my relationship with social media toxic? Here’s some questions to ask yourself to help you figure it out:

• How do I feel after I scroll through my social media feed? Are these mostly good or bad feelings?
• What types of posts do I interact with most on social media? What category do these types of posts fall in? Do they seem more negative or positive? 
• Which types of posts do I feel myself being more drawn to? Is the content I am more drawn to Happy? Inspiring? Motivating? Or are the posts I am most drawn to Sad? Depressing? Self-loathing? 

Really get honest with yourself when pondering these questions.

Maybe you already know your relationship with social media needs some improvement - here’s a tip to help you get started on shifting your relationship with social media:

• Start prioritizing how you feel when using social media by auditing your feed and becoming best friends with the Block and/or Unfollow Buttons: Do you follow a page posting content that always leaves you feeling negative after viewing it? Unfollow or block the page. Do you follow certain people because their life looks ‘worse’ than yours and deep down it makes you feel better about your own life? Again, Unfollow. This type of behavior stems from negativity. Do you follow a certain controversial celebrity because you are addicted to the drama? Again, Unfollow. This is not helpful for your mood or mindset!

To sum it all up - is social media really that bad for us? No, but it can be when used mindlessly. On the opposite spectrum, social media can be an amazing tool for our own personal development and growth when used mindfully and positively. The sooner you realize that your social media use directly affects the way you feel and start making positive changes, the better off you will feel!

Author: Julia