Social media has a great potential to bridge meaningful connections and induce positive emotions. Even before the pandemic, we were already using social media to cope with daily life and stay connected with loved ones. Aside from conducting virtual catch-ups, we used social media extensively to share our stories and passions with people from anywhere in the world.
However, social media is also associated with a range of mental health issues, especially in young people. Excessive use is often blamed for negative effects such as low self-esteem, which often results from comparisons with other people and the disconnect between our virtual and real lives.
That said, social media requires plenty of moderation and mindfulness for it to transform your life in a positive way. If you use social media wisely, you’ll find that it can significantly brighten your mood and reduce the anxieties of everyday life. And to give you an idea of how to instigate these positive changes, here are some ways you can use social media to have a more fulfilling experience online and offline.
Download Apps that Improve Your Lifestyle
The online world offers a litany of apps for various purposes such as mobile games, camera filters, fitness trackers, and productivity tools. If you want to make your online life a more rewarding one, you can download lifestyle-related apps that double as a form of social media where you can connect and share stories with a community of like-minded people.
For example, you can download the Muslim Pro app to enrich your faith and keep track of your religious routines. These include things that you may tend to forget such as prayer times, qibla directions, and fasting hours. Apps like these also give you a daily dose of inspiration from the Quran which you can share on social media.
Monitor Time Spent Online
We’ve all felt that urge to scroll through social media for a few minutes, especially after working on a tedious task. After a few likes and shares, we may be unaware that an hour has already passed! Studies show that the benefits of social media diminish with excessive use, hence the need to set time limits in order to prevent internet burnout.
Again, with the number of apps out there, there’s bound to be one that can track your usage and set limits to help you avoid unproductivity and overuse.
Avoid the Gloom and Doom(scroll)
“Doomscrolling” is a recently coined term for describing an obsessive urge to browse through negative news on the internet. While it’s good to stay informed, immersing yourself too much can lead to detrimental effects on your mental health. A busy workday is already tiring, and you wouldn’t want that extra stress piling up!
Don’t let the internet get to you by choosing who to interact with online. Connect with those that inspire, encourage, and empower you to make positive changes in your life. For example, if you are Muslim, you can follow the Muslim Pro app Twitter account to strengthen and learn more about your faith. And of course, you should pay it forward and inspire others, too!
Don’t Be Afraid to Share Your Story
According to research, social media’s participative nature can significantly improve the way we experience things. Because it’s interactive and collaborative, social media allows us to contemplate and share our thoughts and feelings about various aspects of our lives, from our relationships to what we had for breakfast this morning.
Turn your social media feed into a safe and positive space by inspiring others through the stories that only you can tell. By sharing your thoughts, likes, and interests with a community you can trust, you may be surprised to find people that feel the same way.
Raise Awareness for A Cause
Aside from our everyday thoughts, you can also harness the power of social media to shed light on something that you believe in. Social media can engage a large number of people from any corner of the world, and you can use this advantage to promote causes such as mental health awareness, environmental protection, animal rights, or diversity and inclusion.
This is especially beneficial if you’re the type that finds it rewarding to help people. Knowing that you’re taking steps to educate others to get into your cause is a sure way to boost your mood while making the world a better place for future generations.
Smart and Moderate Use is the Key
Social media should be productive and not destructive. By staying mindful of what you do online, you’ll find that social media is actually a great tool for managing everyday life. Remember, your social media is something that you use, not something that uses you. Ultimately, the key to good social media use is knowing how to create positive experiences from it and unplug when necessary.
