Are you suffering from social media anxiety?

It is important to take social media breaks once in a while (Photo: iStock)

Social media has opened us to so many opportunities and possibilities. Right now there are thousands of businesses solely running on platforms like Instagram and it’s also enabled us to connect with our loved ones easily.

However, multiple studies have shown the link between social media and mental health problems, especially in young people and this only tells us how much power it has.

Not everyone would want to completely delete their accounts and go incognito. You can slowly learn how to reduce or eliminate social media anxiety with these five tips:

• Find the root of the problem

In many cases, you will find that anxiety is only a response to a deeper problem. It’s the main symptom manifesting itself and that shows there is some issue within yourself that need your attention.

Try and understand if your main problem is the struggle of inferiority, rejection or maybe even low self-esteem, and then you can think of a solution. It also helps to talk to someone about what you’re going through so that you can overcome it.

• Don’t take everything you see seriously

A lot of what you see on social media isn’t even real and sometimes it can be hard to tell. For most people, before they decide to upload anything, there is a detailed planning process that has to happen in the background.

If you don’t understand this, you will always compare yourself to a made-up version of someone else. That is why you shouldn’t take everything you see as facts.

You need to be wary of the kind of content you follow online (Photo: iStock)

• Be strict with your breaks

It can be very tempting to check one or two updates when you’re on your break. And since there is no one who will force you to stay offline, it’s easy to just give in and scroll through.

What would help you is discipline because your mind desperately needs to rest sometimes. If you keep breaking your time off, you will always end up in the same anxiety cycle.

• Carefully select who and what you follow

Be stingy with who you follow and don’t feel guilty about it. Everyone can decide what they want and you should be comfortable with that as well.

Be careful with what you let into your eyes and ears because that’s how some of these fears enter into your life.

Don’t force yourself to listen to every story circulating out there because you are in charge of your own peace.

• Focus on the real world

Social media is sometimes an imaginary imitation of how life actually is. There are many people who feel anxious whenever they’re online because that is what they have allowed their minds to be consumed with.

There is a lot of beauty in enjoying the real events of everyday life and that is what can help you detach from the online world.

Always remember that life itself is a gift and you shouldn’t let it pass you by because of what is happening online.