5 Ways to Avoid The Stress of Social Media Overload

Let's be honest, you are on social media all of the time. That is not going to change. You've seen all of the memes and Facebook posts lamenting some previous generation that supposedly loved each other more and did a better job of having relationships with one another because they didn't have Facebook/Smart phones or that crazy rock and roll music, and you've rolled your eyes along with the rest of us.

...PREVIOUS GENERATION THAT SUPPOSEDLY LOVED EACH OTHER MORE AND DID A BETTER JOB OF HAVING RELATIONSHIPS WITH ONE ANOTHER BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE FACEBOOK/SMART PHONES OR THAT CRAZY ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC...

This doesn't mean that social media involvement doesn't come with a potential cost. Social media overload can cause stress, sleeplessness, and it can cause you to change your online behaviors in certain ways. One way that this happens is that you become too eager to receive likes and shares on your social media posts, especially those that highlight your physical attributes. Social media overload can also impact relationships and grades. This is too bad, because social media can be such a positive part of life where we can connect with people, play games, and share our stories and photographs. It is sad that it turns into such a negative for some people. Fortunately, there are 5 ways to avoid the stress and other negative impacts of social media overload.

1. Cut Out The Toxic People and Conflicts Poisoning Your Feed

Nobody is perfect. However, there are people and entities on your social media feed who contribute nothing but negativity. Remember that there is a difference between somebody who adds a bit of naughty, gossipy fun to your news feed, and somebody who just starts trouble and seeks attention. The difficult part of this process is that you may end up cutting off people you truly care about. Just remember that you have intermediate options such as hiding somebody from your wall temporarily. This gives you reprieve from negativity while still leaving the opportunity for continuing friendships open.

2. Shut Off Your Notifications on Your Smart Phone

There is absolutely no need to interrupt some activity of yours to pay heed to some social media message. What could create more social media overload than being tethered to your social media account. If you do this, you also take yourself away from temporary social media drama. It will also be amazingly freeing once you become the one who is in control of when and how you receive notifications. Give it a try for 24 hours and you will be amazed at how much happier you are.

3. Take Quiet Breaks From Social Media When You Need to Disengage

You've heard it before. Step back. Don't engage. Take a break. You should follow this advice. Social media breaks are a great way to focus on other things, take yourself away from drama, and rethink your social media presence. If you do decide to take a break, please consider doing so quietly. If you are tempted to leave social media in the midst of a conflict, and feel the need to announce it publicly, the result will be the creation of more drama.

4. Outside Every Single Day

A brief foray into nature could be just what you need to understand and put the pressures of social media into proper perspective. Whatever you do, you will come back to your desktop with a renewed sense of interest and a fresh perspective. Do this on a regular basis, and you will become almost immune to the effects of social media overload. You will also establish a pattern with other social media users that you can and will leave social media when it interferes with your daily activities.

5. Make Human Contact a Daily Priority

There is nothing like real life, human contact to offset the impact of social media overload. It serves as a great reminder that there are human beings behind screen names, and that there is often more going on in people's lives than what they present on social media. Also, no matter how much contact we have with people through social media, we still need real life interaction with one another.

These are just 5 possible suggestions to help you keep social media from becoming too important of a presence in your life. You can probably think of several other strategies in addition to these. The point in general is that social media is a great thing, but it can become too important. It can also be a medium for toxicity and nastiness if you allow it to become that. What do you think? Have you struggled with problems caused by social media overload? How did you handle the situation, and what advice would you give to others? Which items would you add or remove from our list? Leave a comment to let us know, or drop us a line. We are always interested in hearing what you think.