How To Streamline Your Social Media To Better Your Mental Health

How to streamline your social media to better your mental health, because we could all do with a bit more positivity on our feeds.  Post by Sophie Nutt.

Social media has its fair share of pros and cons.  And the latter can have a significantly negative effect on our mental health, particularly if we’re prone to spending a big chunk of our time on it.

It’s no secret that social media platforms, such as Instagram, have created a lot of toxicity. Whether it’s uncertainty over your feed’s aesthetic, insecurity over the amount of likes you’re getting on posts, pressure to post consistently or anxiety over what your life ‘should’ look like compared to your peers’.

However, a major pro of social media is that it can be used as a platform on which to discuss important issues, including mental health. Combatting the negative feelings that often come hand-in-hand with social media becomes a lot easier once your feed is filled with encouraging, relatable posts.  And you tap into the treasure trove of inspirational, informative and comforting accounts that are available to you.

Unfiltered Discussions

Social media has emerged as an unlikely space for unfiltered discussion of things such as anxiety, depression, body image, empowerment and topics that can sadly be seen as ‘taboo’ in the ‘real world’.

Many accounts combine internet lingo and memes that seek to de-stigmatise and encourage open conversation.  Artists use their platforms to share illustrations to achieve the same goal, while others simply address topics in an unapologetic and raw way.

All of this serves to create a more positive, enlightening and accepting space; a welcomed break from the ‘alien’ content we often expose ourselves to.

Matilda Heindow

Matilda Heindow created the Instagram page @crazyheadcomics in 2018, which now has over 230,000 followers (and counting). A digital artist, Matilda combines her creative skill with a personal experience of mental illness in a bid to create a community that could relate to one another.

“Social media can be wonderful: it can help you make friends, display skills, it can be a career, a way of learning new things, seeing yourself represented…It can be great,” says Matilda. “But it’s really easy to misuse it and it can become a breeding ground for comparison and competition. I think we all need to evaluate the way we use social media, because it can be detrimental to your mental health.”

“If something that is supposed to be fun is making you feel awful, ask yourself why; then you can take the necessary steps to make your social media a place that is good for your mental health. Unfollow people who make you feel bad, post things that make you feel good and don’t get wrapped up in numbers. Social media doesn’t have to cause you anxiety if you learn how to use it in a way that is friendly to your health.”

“I try to be as honest as possible in my illustrations to show people what mental illness actually looks like, because the media representation of us is oftentimes awful. The more we talk about mental illness, the sooner we can break the stigma. I want to both educate people about mental health, and also show people who suffer that they’re not alone.”

The popularity of such real, inspirational and encouraging social media profiles shows the huge demand that there is for them, as well as how many people are seeking to make their feed a more positive, nurturing place. Feel-good ‘grammers are on the rise and are providing the much-needed juxtaposition to the toxic side of social media.

De-Stigmatising Mental Health

Sara Kuburic is the psychotherapist and counsellor behind the @millennial.therapist Instagram account, created with the hope of de-stigmatising mental health and acting as a support tool.

“I wanted to provide some education and information that can get people curious about their own mental health and empower them to seek change, healing and growth,” says Sara. “My aim is to provide a space that offers useful information and a sense of community. I am hoping to keep learning and identifying the need that is out there.  And being a part of social media allows me to hear some of the collective voice that is present in our society.”

“The impact Instagram is having on the mental health and self-esteem of individuals largely depends on the type of content they are following and engaging with. There is a lot of toxic content out there that promotes culture of documentation, comparison, and sells an illusion of ‘perfection’, which can nurture discontent and insecurities about who we are, what we look like and the life we live.”

“That being said, Instagram is also a space for content that can promote a sense of community, information and encouragement. It boils down to the boundaries we have set regarding what is on our feeds and being aware enough that if something is hindering our mental health or self-esteem we can distance ourselves from it.”

Your Social Media Feed

Looking at your social media feeds in this way and using it as a tool for community, support and positivity is a big step in nurturing and taking care of your mental health. Almost unrecognisable to the celebrity, influencer and supermodel-filled feed I used to harness, I now consciously follow people that inspire me and make me feel better during and after my time on social media.

The list below comprises a select few of the Instagram profiles on my follow list that use social media as a positive tool:

• @violetclair
• @millennial.therapist
• @selfcareisforeveryone
• @crazyheadcomics
• @anxieteawithchillys
• @sadgirlsclub
• @the.holistic.psychologist
• @grlpwrgang
• @chessiekingg
• @florencegiven
• @sophierosebrampton
• @gurlstalk
• @theslumflower
• @thisisaliceskinner
• @missgloriadesign
• @makedaisychains
• @dlcanxietysupport

There are so many more that will lie outside of this list.  However, these are simply a select few to help you on your journey to streamlining your social media and getting the most out of the time you spend on it.

Time Spent

On the note of time, while it is important to be conscious of what you’re exposing yourself to when on social media, it is just as important to be conscious of your time spent on social media platforms altogether.

Mindless scrolling isn’t exercising our brain, encouraging creativity or helping us to grow as people. Living in the moment, appreciating what is there and fully immersing ourselves in it.  This is the most effective way of streamlining your social media.