how to practice self love on social media
As a woman in her twenties, I live on social media. I’m constantly scrolling through my feed, laughing at funny videos and interacting with my friends’ posts.
It’s a space for me to disconnect from the world and unplug through a screen. Though it’s also a place where I see constant posts that make me feel insecure and negatively impact my mental health.
It’s a tough balance to maintain, but practicing self love on my phone is important to me to keep a healthy relationship with something I’m on several times a day.
To practice self love on social media, post what makes you feel good, don’t obsess over interactions, limit who and what content you follow and set boundaries with your screen time.
post what makes you feel good & ignore the interactions.
Taking photos (and even posting) increases my self love because I love to feel good about the way I look and the photo dumps I curate.
It’s a fun hobby, and I love dressing up to take photos. I’m able to look back on them with a positive outlook on my appearance.
What I don’t like is the lack of likes and comments compared to what they used to be. I hate the anxiety that comes with posting and wondering if people think I look crazy.
I love the positive comments and feedback, but does it outweigh the anxiety and embarrassment I also feel?
One of my favorite Instagram updates is the ability to hide like counts, alongside other features you can hide. It takes off the pressure of getting a lot of likes and the feeling of being judged by the number.
So this is my reminder to you to ignore the interactions (likes, comments, shares, follows, etc.) Obsessing over that will most likely not make you feel great. Focus on the parts of social media that give you joy, whatever those may be.
remember the fakeness of it all.
Don’t compare yourself to what you see online. Start by remembering that a large amount of what’s posted on social media is fake.
Gym influencers are posting routines they don’t even do and body photos that are edited. Celebrities are posting sponsored supplements and items they don’t use or like.
Everyday people are posting accomplishments like it’s a piece of cake, when it took years to achieve, while never including the hardships. And influencers are posting bags, houses and cars that they don’t even own.
Self love is acknowledging that your life is real. Even you most likely don’t post all your struggles or pain (at least, I know I don’t.) Imagine all the people feeling some type of way about your life and comparing it to their own.
Self love is realizing we’re all doing the best we can, looking the best we can and going through life comparing ourselves to unrealistic (or even AI) images we see online.
take control of who you follow & what content you see.
Do you find yourself seeing posts of people you don’t like, or content that makes you feel uneasy or bad about yourself? There’s endless content that are MEANT to make you feel terrible and give you self esteem issues.
Influencers and brands make money off making you feel insecure enough to buy their products, subscribe to whatever they’re marketing, etc.
Unfollowing, blocking or muting those accounts and posts as soon as they come up is self love. Take control of your feed and shape it to something that won’t make you feel bad every time you open the app.
There’s a reason why social media worsens body image and eating disorders, causes anxiety, creates feelings of trying to keep up and match the constantly changing trends and causes negative comparisons of your own body to others.
When I’m scrolling through social media, I see a wide range of body types and sometimes find inspiration for body goals I want to work toward.
But it also reminds me of everything wrong with my own body and leads to unnecessary feelings of jealousy for women I’ll never see in real life.
I try to combat the negative feelings by following or interacting with women who share similar body types as myself or who look similar to me.
It helps provide more positive and inspirational content and allows me to find fashion inspiration from influencers who wear clothes that accentuates their/my features. It also normalizes my own body type and reminds me of how many great looking women are out there that look like me.
additional content: tips to stop comparing your body and looks to others
set boundaries & practice self awareness with your screen time.
Every now and then, you come to the realization that you’re spending way too much time on apps and need a social media break. I’ve done them so often, and they are great for resetting your relationship with your phone.
To start, try listing out certain apps you want to avoid. Maybe your TikTok feed is filled with positive content that makes you feel good (follow our TikTok here!), and your Instagram is the problem with negative content that makes you feel bad.
Listen to your instincts and avoid Instagram (or whatever apps bring up negative emotions) for a little bit.
Or maybe you want to focus on certain times of the day when you’re not using any devices. You might want to be on your phone for no more than 30 minutes, an hour, etc. at a time. You may want to avoid social media after 10 p.m., so you’re able to have a clear mind before going to sleep.
If you’re in need of a digital detox, read all about it here.
Some tips to stay successful with your decreased screen time are to tell friends/family/etc. who can act as accountability buddies, lean into alternatives to technology like a new hobby or sport and using apps to block other ones you want to avoid.
