Ever dreamt of deleting Facebook and other social media apps to protect your peace but you can't because you need them for school or work? The pressure to look perfectly curated online plus the barrage of content that overstimulates users can take a toll on your mental health but you can always take steps to reclaim control over your digital life.
Gen Z content creators Janina Vela and Hannah Pangilinan, who are actively vocal about protecting their peace on social media, shared some tips on how to be present in digital spaces while looking after your mental health during Meta's panel discussion on online safety practices this Safer Internet Month.
"Knowing that I can take control of my social media is super helpful for me but at the same time, just putting down the device also helps with my wellbeing," Pangilinan said.
"If social media does not control you, you control social media, and showing people how to do that—that it's possible to do that—is the most empowering thing," Vela said.
LOOK: Here Are 5 Tips To Protect Your Mental Health Online
1. Use the block, unfollow, and mute buttons
Feel free to use these social media tools to curate what you see on social media as it is your right to allow or bar certain contents you see on your feed, said Pangilinan.
"We can actually say 'no, I'm going to put my foot down and I don't want to see that'," she said.
You can also tap the "Take a Break" option to see less content from a Facebook friend, or even "Restrict" to prevent Facebook friends (say, your boss) from seeing anything but your public posts. If these won't suffice, you can always tap the unfriend button.
2. Keep your friends close on social media
Don't be a lone wolf online. Like how our closest friends keep us in check in the physical world, they can also look out for you and your privacy online, said Pangilinan.
3. Hide the "likes"
Ignoring the number of "likes" or reactions on your and other peoples' posts decreases the need for social validation. What matters is the content, not the reactions.
"People have the option to hide like counts on all posts in Feed, keeping the focus on the memories being shared, not the number of likes," said Meta.
4. Take a social media break
Going on a digital detox does wonders for your mental health. Researchers at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom found that a week-long social media break "improved individuals’ overall level of well-being, as well as reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety." The study, published in May 2022, can be found in the U.S. journal Cyberpsychology, Behaviour, and Social Networking.
Unfortunately, not everyone can afford a week-long break no thanks to work and school so if you can, try to lessen the amount of time you spend on social media every day. You can also practice going on quiet mode or muting notifications.
"Take a pause, take a breather, take a walk. Maybe close your eye, and take a 15 min nap instead of scrolling for 15 minutes. You got it," said Pangilinan.
5. Live outside of social media
How's your life outside social media? Remember that your online persona is just an extension of your offline life, said Vela and Pangilinan.
"Being online will just increase that being uneasy or reactive so I think it all begins with what's happening in your physical world and making sure that that's okay so when you come out there, you're not just receiving everything but you're filtering what you're experiencing," said Pangilinan.
For Vela, it's important to turn off your online presence to live your life outside social media. Doing her hobbies and enjoying quality time with her friends without posting it gives her a strong sense of self which she can then bring to her followers on social media.
"Understanding that social media is an addition—it's a blessing, not necessarily your whole entire life—that cultivates a healthy relationship with social media."
*This story originally appeared on Spot.ph. Minor edits have been made by the Preview.ph editors.
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