5 Mindful Social Media Practices That Will Improve Your Well-being

Illustration By: Phathudesigns_illustrations

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For the past couple of years, access to information through social media has been and continues to be the norm as we navigate the digital village we find ourselves in; it has made the world small and fostered connections and transformed relationships with people across the globe. However, like any invention, there are pros and cons to being on the internet too, especially on social media. For example, access to information, networking and opportunities versus misinformation, misrepresentation and unhealthy comparisons.

One of the best ways to maintain a healthy social media experience is practicing social media mindfulness.

What is Social Media Mindfulness?

Mindfulness refers to the practice of being more intentionally aware and present while being fully engaged in your surroundings with acceptance without judgement.

According to Mindful Leader, there are three components of mindfulness: 

Intention, choosing to cultivate your awareness

Attention, to the present moment, sensations and thoughts

Attitude, being kind, curious and non-judgemental

Social media mindfulness is highly important for self love purposes; you owe yourself wellness; which can be in areas such as your mental health, physical health, environmentally etc.

But how do you combine the key elements of mindfulness? Here are 5 mindful social media practices that will improve your well-being:


Be Intentional
When you sign up for or use social media platforms, what do you intend to achieve? Are you looking for entertainment, knowledge, etc? Setting your intention saves you from unwanted experiences.

Be Present & Audit Your Experience
Observe and assess how you feel when you use social media platforms to understand the kind of energy or emotions you pick when you use said platforms. To avoid being on social media for long hours; set a timer to track your social media use - so that you don’t miss out on face-to-face interactions with your people.

Social Media Detox & Breaks
Now that you have set your intentions and audited your experience, take a detox from social media. Pace yourself; you could start with one social media app at a time and keep adding more networks to your detox list. Sometimes the information overload becomes too much to bear, especially with trending stories characterised by sad news. You deserve a break from that and recuperate by engaging with your physical surroundings.

Discernment
The spirit of discernment is needed throughout life; including your social media consumption. Much as there’s a wealth of knowledge you can learn from social media and endless entertainment, misinformation is equally rife, hence it is crucial to take everything you consume with a pinch of salt.

Spring Clean Your Social Media

Weed out people who you are no longer interested in following nor engaging. For example, you can unfriend or unfollow people whose content does not resonate or those you find problematic for your liking. You could also mute certain topics to avoid consuming unwanted content. Use that mute button.


Concluding Thoughts
We live in a highly consumerist society, not only materially but also content-wise, thus what you feed your eyes and mind matters too. You deserve to live a wholesome life characterised by self love, balance and all-round wellness; because you deserve. 

Photo Credit: Phathudesigns_illustrations | Instagram