Social media has a significant impact on our lives, and how we use them can easily affect our mood and mindset, positively or negatively. The goal of this guide is to show you how you can start to use social media intentionally so that they stop negatively affecting your life.
When used unconsciously, social media can trigger bad things for our mental health: anxiety, feelings of loneliness, lowered self-esteem, depression, and more. New trend of intentional social media usage is gaining popularity, and we're going to explore it together so you can make the most of it.
The 3 Key Takeaways
1️⃣ First
Social media can have a positive or negative impact on your mental health depending on whether your use is intentional or unintentional.
2️⃣ Second
When used intentionally in alignment with your values and goals, social media can contribute to your overall well-being and energy, positively impacting your life.
3️⃣ Third
Social media can be used intentionally by following practical strategies: setting clear goals, choosing the right platforms, reducing exposure to negative content by unfollowing toxic accounts, limiting your time using apps like Jomo, taking breaks, and even detoxing.
What is intentional social media use?
Intentional social media use is using these platforms in a way that aligns with your values and goals. With intentional use, you set an intention and a specific goal before launching a social media app. You don't have to need all the latest trendy social networks.
For example, if you're not a fan of X or TikTok's short videos, you can simply uninstall those apps. Keep only the social networks you enjoy using and that serve your goals.
Intentional use also involves redefining your priorities. We recommend using a timer for each social media app to ensure they don't consume your precious life time. By limiting this time, it will feel more natural to use social media intentionally to make the most of your allotted time. This way, you become the master of your use, which can even boost your self-esteem.
At the same time, we advise you to take breaks from your phone. Here are three examples of breaks you can apply:
🔕 Put your phone on silent mode whenever you work.
🌙 Avoid using your phone after 9 pm to improve your circadian rhythm and sleep (blue light after sunset affects your circadian rhythm).
🌿 Try turning off your phone one day a week, such as Saturday or Sunday, to fully enjoy your day with family and friends. If that's not possible, try not to exceed 45 minutes of screen time, as it can add up quickly.
With intentional social media use, you have more control over what you consume, leading to more positivity, engagement, and balance. You take the time to verify information and enjoy communicating and engaging with others on social media.
Unintentional social media use exposes you to a flood of information, disinformation, and negativity, leading to an overdose of negativity in your mind: the desire for validation, isolation, and addiction. You then begin a vicious cycle that is difficult to break without deliberate use.
How To Use Social Media Intentionally? 4 Steps to Start
Now that we know it's extremely important to use social media intentionally for our overall well-being, how can we do it? It may seem like a daunting task, but we'll provide clear steps to regain control of your social media use. So let's get practical!
🎯 Step 1: Define Your Goals
Before you start, you need to set goals. Do you want to spend more time on social media to:
Learn new things?
Communicate more with your family and friends?
Create more content?
You should define SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound); it's the best way to establish effective goals. For example, if you want to create more content, instead of saying, "I want to create more content," you can set this goal: "I want to use Instagram for 30 minutes a day to create 3 engaging stories for my followers."
🧹 Step 2: Choose Which Social Media to Keep and Which to Delete
The second step is simply uninstalling social media apps that don't support your goals and values. You don't have to use all social networks or the latest trendy platforms.
This applies to dating apps too (which are also social networks). You don't need to have them all. Choose the one you feel most comfortable with because they can be extremely negative for self-esteem and trigger addiction and FOMO (fear of missing out).
🙅 Step 3: Unfollow Accounts That Post Toxic or Uninteresting Content
On any social media, you can follow pages, and some of these pages can have a negative effect on you: sensationalist news, accounts that remind you of bad memories, accounts that make you scroll through trash content. Unfollow them. Yes, it's also time to unfollow your toxic ex on Instagram... Sort through and your mind will thank you.
📜 Step 4: Set Usage Rules That You Will Stick To
The final step is to establish rules. For example, use Instagram for less than 1 hour a day. To easily enforce this rule, you can use the Jomo app to set a timer on Instagram.
If you want to avoid using social media at all on Sundays, you can also block social media apps directly on Jomo. This will make it much easier, especially at the beginning of your intentional social media use journey.
To rebalance your circadian rhythm, you can also disable social media after 9 pm by setting this rule on Jomo. Instead, you can read a book or meditate to prepare for a more restful night.
In the morning, some people have the habit of endlessly scrolling through social media upon waking up or during breakfast. Starting the day with a torrent of information is not good for your mental health or digestion (if you do this while eating).
To start your day gently and positively, try not to look at social media and be mindful of your actions and what you're doing. You will feel extremely good, and it will positively influence the rest of your day. If this habit is difficult to establish, you can set a rule on Jomo to limit the use of certain apps, for example, from 7 am to 9 am.
Jomo is the ideal companion for limiting your screen time, and you will have access to many settings to apply all the rules you imagine in line with your intentional social media use goals and your smartphone use in general.
When you start using social media intentionally, you'll feel that you have more energy. You'll feel more in control of your life and consciously in control; this is very important for your self-esteem and mood. You can start using social media consciously today by applying the four major steps we've shared with you.
Using social media intentionally literally has the power to change your life if you're used to scrolling through social media for hours without purpose. You can use those hours to work toward your goals and values, positively progressing in your life.
✋ Illustrations by Jomo ; Photography Unsplash
Made with love in Brittany