Your time with your IRL friends is so important for your emotional wellbeing. It’s also hard to get. Between everyone’s work schedules and families and other social obligations, how often do you really see your good friends? Probably not as much as you’d like. You can access your “friends” on social media any time. So never let social media interfere with you fully enjoying and gaining the love, support, and energy you get from real-life interactions. Don’t scroll Instagram while at lunch with a friend. Don’t Tweet while shopping with your BF. “Adopt some self-discipline and focus on spending time with family and friends,” states Matthews.
As with many things, social media requires a balanced approach if we’re going to keep a healthy relationship with it. If you’ve been wondering whether or not social media has been impacting your mental health, we have some answers.