Setting Social Media Boundaries
By: Kelsey Pukala, dietitian at Nourishing Minds Nutrition
Boundaries. Specifically, social media boundaries. This concept has come up a LOT for me recently, whether it’s personally, in conversations with clients or in books/podcasts I’ve been reading and listening to. Understanding your own personal boundaries and setting boundaries looks different for every person and probably goes beyond the scope of this blog post! However, over the past several weeks, I have intentionally stepped back from social media and have learned a few things that I thought may be helpful to share!
We live in a world that is obsessed with connection. We have our phones glued to our sides everywhere we go. It’s almost difficult for me to remember a time when cell phones weren’t a thing and you would be “unavailable” if you weren’t at home or work where there was a landline. Seems strange. But then, you read statistics and recent research about how we are the most connected generation, yet also extremely lonely, anxious and depressed. What’s that about? Recently, I’ve been reading and listening about this idea of social media boundaries (which is obviously a new concept since phone apps and social media are relatively new). What does it look like to have a healthy relationship with social media? How do you know what boundaries are necessary for you to set?
In November, I experimented with this idea. I decided to step back almost completely from social media. I still posted a bit for work and checked messages a couple times per week but that was it. No daily posting, no mindless scrolling, no checking social media if I had a 5-minute break, no recipe sharing, no commenting and limited connection. To be completely honest, it was so much easier than I thought. And, as much as I love connecting with others on social media and meeting other professionals, I didn’t miss it.
This was completely a personal decision because I began noticing that I was using social media to take the place of any “silence” or “quiet” I had during the day. If I had a break between clients or a few minutes between phone calls I would just open social media for 5-10 minutes. I’m not saying that’s a terrible thing to do! But for me, I started to get curious about what else I could fill that time with. When I didn’t have social media on my phone, how did I use this time? Why am I not okay with being bored or doing “nothing” for a few minutes? Why do I have to constantly be stimulated by social media? Between too much screen time and my obsession with multi-tasking, I thought a break was exactly what I needed.
Setting boundaries in general is difficult. Setting boundaries with social media can be extremely difficult because it’s available to us 24/7 and in the palm of our hands. Social media can be a good thing, but it can also be not such a good thing! How do you know if taking a step back is appropriate for you? Here are some questions to ask yourself:
Do you find yourself checking social media several times throughout the day?
How do you feel before and after?
Do you feel like you have no free time?
Do you feel like you HAVE to check it or feel pressure to post regularly?
Are you comparing yourself to others on social media?
Are you curious what may happen if you take a break from social media?
If you choose to take a break or set firmer boundaries with social media, which I would highly recommend, it may be helpful to be prepared. For example, if you decide to only check social media twice per day, once in the morning and once at night, what will you do instead of checking social media throughout the day? Some things I found helpful and find myself doing now instead of opening Instagram are: reading a few pages (in an actual real book), sitting in the stillness and practicing deep breathing, praying or practicing affirmations, eating a snack, going for a short walk or calling a friend. After about a month of this, I have to say that I truly don’t miss checking social media constantly AND I feel more productive and present. Productivity isn’t the most important thing in life, but it does feel nice. I also feel less stressed… does anyone else feel the need to respond to every notification immediately?? I recently turned off all notifications for social media, so I only see a message if I open the app… game changer. Plus, I love opening my phone and not seeing any red notification bubbles!
If you’re still struggling to figure out what social media boundary setting looks like, something to think about is starting with social media awareness. How often are you checking social media? Is it the first and last thing you do each day? Does it influence the way you speak to yourself? How do you feel before and after you look at it? If you added up all the time each day you spent on social media, what would that be? Is there anything else you would rather put that time towards? Some food for thought!
Thank you so much Kelsey for this inspirational blog post! You can learn more about Kelsey and schedule to book with Kelsey by clicking here.
