Social media is an amazing place that allows us to connect, be seen and heard, laugh, and learn things that we might not otherwise get access to… But the reality is that social media has its cons...and there are some big ones!
And one of these cons is that it has made anxiety recovery so much more complicated than it needs to be! There are just so many pieces of advice, tips, and tools out there. And not to mention... some really unhelpful stuff! And it can all be so overwhelming right? And to add to the overwhelm, social media also breeds lots of confusion, comparison, not-enoughness, and self-doubt.
So in this episode, I'm diving into 6 tips that will help you to make social media a more supportive and healthy place for you to hang out, and a place that is actually supportive of your recovery!
How You Can Make Social Media Support Your Anxiety Recovery
1. Not every message is designed specifically for you, so don't try to make every message fit and be applicable to you and your recovery.
It's so important to remember that the things we see on social media aren't one-size-fits-all solutions to the things we're struggling with. Everyone is dealing with different things, and we are all unique! So I want you to remember that not every message on social media will be perfectly applicable to you. And that's completely okay!
2. Don’t try to apply everything you read on social media.
If we try to apply all of the things we learn on social media to our anxiety recovery, we'll be left feeling pretty burnt out and defeated. Because it's just not possible to do it all! When we try to apply everything to our current situation, it only leads to more inaction. And, honestly, it can leave us feeling much more confused about how we actually recover from anxiety. My advice to you is to consider the words of a few people you trust on social media and apply the pieces of advice that align with your recovery goals.
3. Limit your intake of information! This includes... Doing a social media inventory. Limiting the accounts you follow. Setting health boundaries with social media. If something is triggering for you, set a healthy boundary.
Let's be honest here...there's too much information about anxiety on social media! And if you choose to follow tons of accounts related to anxiety, you're likely going to be hearing way too much information about anxiety. Personally, I like to limit the number of accounts that I follow. I follow the people that I trust, and I set lots of boundaries with social media! And I want to encourage you to do the same because I know it will be incredibly helpful for you.
4. Stop learning and APPLY!
And trust me...I've been there! Because there's a wealth of information on the internet, it can feel like there's always something to learn about anxiety recovery. But I want to challenge you to use all of the information you have now, and put it into action! Because healing happens when we apply our knowledge and take healthy action, not when we keep gaining more of it.
5. Don’t allow social media to take away from YOUR knowledge, insights, and power.
Social media might make you doubt your knowledge about yourself or what you're going through. But I want to remind you that everything you need to recover from anxiety is already inside of you. Sure, there's helpful information on social media, but don't forget the power that you already have!
6. Be cautious, even when somebody has credentials!
This is an obvious one...but people with credentials can still put unhelpful information out on social media. So I want to encourage you to be cautious of the information you absorb from social media. And if something doesn't sit right with you, follow your gut! Stick to the people you know you can trust, and anxiety recovery will become a whole lot easier.
And remember...
Social media isn’t where the healing happens. The healing happens OFF of social media!
Don't forget to tune in to the episode full of goodness! And until next time, friend, keep taking healthy action!