Tired of social media? here’s how to deal with it

Just a few days back I was much stressed about my social media routine and yet I was in the habit of checking on all social media apps every now and then, thanks to my phone! One day I felt like giving a thought about this, for this stress couldn’t go on for very long or I was sure I would go insane.

My social media was a repetition of stressful and depressing routines and was no more acting as an outlet and refuge from the worldly worries of my surroundings, which it once was. I was frustrated, depressed and all other negative connotations I could have thought of in those moments. Also in those moments, I sat and did an analysis of social media and how it is affecting us on a personal and societal level, how to manage the use of social media to put it our use and how do we change that vibe of negativity that seems quite prevalent on our timelines.

I, personally, see a close allegory between social media and real life, and how does this allegorical relation works? It tests your patience! Just like real life, you have to get along whatever comes way here by picking and choosing between whom to ignore and whom to get along with.

And you have to learn the golden rule of life here too ‘learn to agree to disagree’.

I am reminded of a medicine man in one of Elizabeth Gilbert’s book who very patiently answers one of her questions about God and answers that he listens to everyone who talks to him about God, he tells them that he agree to whatever they are saying and then he goes home and pray to God the way he has always been praying.

So, if you focus on the prospects that social media allows in teaching you tolerance, patience, and understanding towards others, they are very bright. As Ahsan Saeed puts it and which is very true if practiced in our lives generally, “you get what you are looking for here on social media”, don’t expect social media for tolerance and understanding if you are not well intently looking for these.

Coming to managing your social media in order for it to work best for you, here are few of the steps that you may take and they might prove helpful, but again you have to understand that these too will help you as much as you’ll like them to help you:

Be in Charge

No matter at what stage of social media use you are at, this is mandatory. Always, always be in charge of your social media (your life in general), this means from the way you use it to the amount of time you spend here to whatever you follow here, everything.

Pick n Choose

Okay so this helped me a lot personally, I deleted few apps, unfollowed few pages/ people and voila it did the magic. How?

1. There are a number of apps streaming social media on a daily basis and no matter how hard you try you cannot keep up with all of them, pick those you think serve you best and free yourself off of the luggage of other extra apps.

2. It is completely under your control to follow people and pages on your social media, so if you feel like you have been following people or pages that were not aesthetically creative, informative or were promoting negativity, unfollow them without second thoughts. ( I unfollowed all photography pages which seemed to have no creativity and meme pages, it was so soothing- the feeling of contentment afterward)

Be the solution

There is a saying that there are two kinds of people in the world, those who are creating problems and those who are creating solutions for those problems and for your part always be sure to be on the side of people who are creating SOLUTIONS. How is that possible on social media?

1. Don’t spread negativity.

2. Be compassionate towards others.

3. Do not share or argue over something over something that is going to stir disturbance among group/ groups of people on the physical/ psychological level.

4. Be as positive and polite towards others as you can be.

5. Go read a book, make art or watch a movie if you feel disturbed after useless scrolling through your timelines.

6. You don’t like social media? Well, n good, maybe leave it or rather stop using it in manageable quantity, but don’t try to preach to everyone out there, tolerance and respect for individual’s space are concepts we should all be well adept with.

7. If you are contributing to social media circle be sure it’s positive and is going to contribute the general wellness of your community, we all are this much human right?

AND MY DEAR FELLOWMEN WE NEED TO STOP DESTRUCTIVE CRITICISM, YES.

Happy socializing everyone! 🙂