Effects Of Social Media On Mental Health And The Way Forward..

Social media is rife with comparison, and psychological research has shown that such comparisons can lead to anxiety and acute stress for the users.

The pressure of building a small business using social media is obviously leading to social media fatigue amongst business owners. Just the idea of posting contents fills some users with dread.

Oftentimes this leads to lack of focus, irritability, and anxiety. The loss of followers on social media as well as the lack of engagement due to constantly changing Facebook and Instagram algorithms is also often seen by the small business owners as lack of engagement with their brand.

About 52% of small business owners confirmed that they were 'feeling low about their business' and 45% felt that 'perhaps no one wants what I am offering'.

They also agreed that rather than channeling their time and energy into the creation of new products, they were caught up in social media marketing; investing their time, energy and resources.

If any of the above describes your present state, that means social media networking is affecting your mental health and well-being.

In view of this, the following ways discussed below if practiced, will help you to overcome the dread and anxiety around social media marketing:

•• Be intentional about your presence on social media. Decide whether you are there to socialize, build a brand or just sell your market. Your motive will determine what and what not to do. Once your motive is sorted then just face your front and focus on what you have come to social media to do.

••Self-love/self-esteem- Believe you are enough and love yourself because it is easy for someone who doesn't love himself or herself to be oppressed and pressurized on social media.

•• Gratitude- Be grateful for what you have. You may have to read that again for the message to sink well. Stop being jealous of others, rather look inward and discover what talent you have been given

•• Be intentional about the people you follow. The fact that some people appear on your social media space doesn't mean you must follow them. If their contents and presence threatens your sanity just do yourself good by either removing or unfollowing them. You may not be able to influence or determine what such people post but you can choose not to follow them.

••Less is more- post fewer times. When you post too many frequently it could make people get bored of your content which may lead to lack of engagement. It is not important to post 3-4 times a day to beat the algorithm. Post only when you have something valuable to say. Posting many times, a day could lead to undue pressure and also a loss in the quality of content. I don't know about you, but I struggle to find that much to say every day.

•• Take a break- there's no rule that states that you must make social media platforms your place of abode. If you feel drained or overwhelmed do take a break. The world won't end neither will the business go away because you are offline for a few days. Step back, re-evaluate, and come back to it, maybe, if and only when you are happy being back.

Don't think that you can't disappear from social media as there are other ways of connecting with people who matter like your customers, and perhaps use that time to focus on the creative side of the business. People who like your work and want to connect would stay with you. People who leave weren't that interested anyway.

•• Be selective- It is impossible to manage all the various channels and get informative and useful content out, at the right time, all the time.If you prefer a channel, why not focus on it for a while and try to establish meaningful connections!

Focusing your energy on one or two social media platforms will go a long way to ease the pressure and reduce the feeling of dread and overwhelm. You can as well get a social media manager if you are keen on maintaining online presence on several platforms.

•• Be Authentic- I recently read an article from @Mhizutty, where she talked about the fake lifestyle people live on social media, and this influenced this part. You can check it out by clicking on the link below.

Fake things, fake life!

You need to remind yourself that the things we read and see online aren't always true. It is merely a tiny glimpse into someone's reality and not the entire world of the person. I think that losing sight of who we really are, is often the cause of anxiety.

Try and believe in yourself and in the fact that your brand is you, and a reflection of your values.When you post, interact and engage with social media while being yourself.Being genuine and true to ourselves can be deeply refreshing and can ease off any pressures that we might be putting on ourselves unconsciously.

Finally, do not use social media to impress or oppress others; what goes around comes around.

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P.S: All images except the Lead Image are gotten from Unsplash.

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