How often do you pick up your phone and browse social media just to fill up time? With all of the various platforms at our fingertips, one scroll can easily turn into thirty minutes.

Social media started out as a place to connect with loved ones, but it has evolved into places for advertisers, influencers, and marketers to get our attention. For many people social media has become so habitual that it might be affecting their life in unintended ways.

Are you one of those people?

Here are some signs that social media may be having a negative impact on your life:

1. It’s getting in the way of life (work, school, or relationships). Do you scroll on social media instead of working or engaging with others? Sometimes we allow social media to get in the way of learning, being productive, and enjoying family time.
2. Feelings of low self-esteem, anxiety, or depression. Do you find yourself opening social media to check likes and comments? Or maybe you’ve seen others’ activities on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube only to feel worse about yourself.

3. Disrupts sleep. Do you scroll on social media at night instead           of getting rest? If so, this could be disrupting your sleep, and it         may be time to limit your social media intake and get some               shut eye!

Here’s the good news, you can change your relationship with social media to have a more positive impact on your daily life.

Follow these five tips to help make positive changes in the way you use social media:

1. Become more intentional. What is your intention when you log onto social media? Is it to connect with a friend? Take a couple moments to set an intention before you open the social media platform.
2. There’s an app for that. Use an app that controls the amount of time you spend on social media platforms (i.e., cold turkey, moment, or check your phone’s settings to set time limits for apps). If you spend too much time on social media, set limits with how much time you spend on these platforms.
3. Turn off notifications. Does your phone light up every time you receive a like or comment? It might help you to turn off notifications on your phone.
4. Leave your phone in another room. Huge numbers of people scroll through social media instead of sleeping at night. And they wonder why their tired at 2 pm. Put your phone out of reach – or better yet, another room when it’s time to rest.
5. Delete social media apps on your phone. You can delete apps on your phone altogether. This way, if you really need to check the social media platform, you must do it from your laptop or computer.

Social media is a fantastic way to stay connected with friends and loved ones. However, it can also lead to comparing ourselves to others and causing us to feel negative emotions. If you find yourself feeling that way, you are not alone!

Chances are you are not seeing the real life of the person on social media; you may be looking at the online representative they have created for the world.

We’re rooting for you!

Avery and Brian