In today’s online world of social media, it can be hard to know what’s real and what’s not. We see filters, highlight reels and not someone’s whole story on social media. Something that can be affected by this online world is how we look back at ourselves thinking we aren’t enough. Social media can cause our teens & tweens to get into that comparison trap. So today I am sharing tips on navigating social media and what really matters.
Navigating social media and what really matters.
Respect who you are.
Make sure that whatever you are posting or looking at that you are respecting who you are. Whatever you put out there in the world can always come back to you. It’s never gone, even if you delete it. So, think before you post or like or comment. Think of it as a build board or a brand. You are showing the world who you are through this. How do you want to be seen? Remember that nothing is gone forever even after you delete it.
Social Media is a highlight.
Social media and every page you follow was created for a reaction, a like, a laugh or made for entertainment. If you see someone who seems to have a perfect life guess what…. they don’t. No one’s life is perfect. You are seeing someone’s highlights and best parts of their life. You aren’t seeing all the other things going on behind the scenes. Everyone has hard times; everyone has a story that you don’t really know about. So just keep in mind that what you are seeing online is a highlight of their life.
Social media and your phone is not the end all be all.
You need to take time to do things off social media. You need to find other ways to pass the time. Discover things that make you happy and get you outside and getting creative. This may sound boring to you and not something you want to do but I promise it will help you so much with your mindset.
Screen Free Ideas for Tweens and Teens
- Take some time each day or each week being with friends face to face. Plan something fun to do together.
- Learn something new. Learn how to draw, play guitar, or hand letter. Try something you never have done before. You may just find something that you love to do! Try making an Adventure List
Take inventory on how you are feeling!
What matters most is taking inventory about how you feel when you are on social media or your phone or iPad. You matter, your feelings matters, your mindset matters.
Make sure that you are constantly checking in with yourself and if you have some feelings that you don’t like then maybe is time for a phone detox which means you put it away for a few hours or even days if your brave enough. This will help you to tap back into who you are without that constant nagging feeling of checking your phone every two seconds.
Even asking yourself some questions to check in with yourself can be helpful.
Do I feel good inside & happy?
Do I have anxious feelings or jealous feelings?
You have people living right inside your house that would love to hang out with you at any moment. Maybe making ice cream sundaes with them and playing cards is a great way to escape for a few hours and feel some freedom right inside your own home.
Remember social media is not always real life, it’s a highlight and it can suck you in and make you feel a little yucky at times. But if we have systems in place where we can check in with ourselves to make sure what we are consuming is making us feel good inside and not can help us so much!
I hope this was helpful! Let me know in the comments!
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