Relationship with Social Media

The Idea of the Week

Creating a healthy relationship with social media starts with a few reminders. NPR’s article (a 5-minute read with a 23-minute listening option) shares 4 reminders to rethink your relationship with social media. The reminders are summarized here:

1. Social media is designed to be addictive.
2. Your relationship with social media is real. Treat it that way.
3. Be an active participant in your relationship.
4. Take a break and “detox” as needed. 

The article also highlights 3 questions that can help you mindfully define your relationship with social media. Take a moment to breathe and ask yourself: 

1. What does a healthy relationship look like to me?
2. What needs am I trying to meet right now?
3. Scan your body. How do you feel after an hour online? Is it too much time? 

Practice of the Week

This week, we encourage you to build a healthy relationship with social media. 

This 10-minute video shares 7 practical tips and mindsets for creating a healthier relationship with social media:

1. Turn notifications off, or tune out the notifications you don’t need. (Go to Settings > Notifications, then tune each app’s notifications. Note that you can utilize the Notification Summary option, which bundles non-urgent notifications and delivers a summary at a more convenient time.)
2. Bury the app. This means putting the app in a folder, on the last page of your home screen, or in another location where it’s inconvenient to scroll to. 
3. Reset your home feed by finding one truly uplifting post on your explore page and pressing “like.” Then like the posts that are similar. This tells the algorithm that this is the content you’re looking for and will be more likely to show that content on your home feed. 
4. Set your intention. Before you open the app, ask yourself, “Why am I opening this app?”
5. Set a time limit. You can do this by setting a timer or you can set time limits for apps in the settings (Go to Settings > Screen Time > App Limits > Add Limit, and make sure the App Limit button is on/green!) 
6. Schedule your social media time as a reward. This can delay the gratification of checking social media right now. 
7. Delete the app on your phone and check it on your desktop instead. 

If you’re someone who works with social media or needs to use social media for work, it can be difficult to fully detox yourself from social media. This 21-minute podcast on Apple Podcasts shares how you can have a healthy relationship with social media when you work in social media (here’s the YouTube version). Even if you don’t use social media for work, you can adjust these tips in a way that works for you! The summary here is adjusted for the average user, but to see the specifics for each tip for social media workers, check out the podcast/video. 

1. Monitor your usage and screen time. 
2. Make the right platform decisions. Ask yourself, “Do I really enjoy using this platform? Is there a way I can change something about my interaction on this platform so I have a healthier relationship with this platform? Does this platform truly bring me any positivity?” If it’s a “no” or even a “maybe” for each of these questions, consider removing the platform from your social media consumption. Shift your focus, instead, to the platforms that you do enjoy. 
3. Set boundaries. Social media can induce feelings of immediacy and urgency; however, there isn’t much on social media that is a true emergency that would require your immediate attention (even though it sure feels like it). Set boundaries for when you’ll respond to messages or emails, when you’ll interact on the platform, or when you’ll consume current news. 
4. If you’re someone who posts content on social media, make time to create the content you like to create. 
5. Know your social media triggers. Note the content and people you follow that brings up negative feelings and remove them from your feed. 
6. Curate your experience and make your feed less toxic. Unfollow people and content that you don’t enjoy and focus your feed on the content you do enjoy. 

Social media can be toxic, but it doesn’t have to be! What are some of the ways you create a positive, healthy relationship with social media? Let us know over on our social media (links below)!

News of the Week

Caitlin Raab and Kayla Hamilton offer individual therapy on a sliding scale. Read their blurbs below to learn more about what they offer!

Caitlin Raab (she/her) approaches sessions with a focus on introspection, mindfulness, and relaxation strategies. She also focuses on parent and post-partum support, child and teen mental health, and anxiety management.
To learn more about Caitlin, check out her page at breathingspacepsychotherapy.com/caitlin!

Kayla Hamilton (she/her) has an eclectic approach and, most importantly, approaches sessions with where you are at. She focuses on anxiety, life changes and transitions, adolescents and teens, and communication issues.
To learn more about Kayla, check out her page at breathingspacepsychotherapy.com/kayla!

Please note the change in formatting for our Anxiety Group for Middle School Girls: this group is now a HYBRID format, you can join in-person or online. 

Don’t forget to register for our groups! Registration is still open for Mother’s Light, a postpartum support group; our Anxiety Group for Middle School Girls; and The Heart of Intuition, a group to help you explore your intuition. Check out the flyers to learn more about these groups.

The Heart of Intuition
Discovering the treasure of your own intuition
Michael DiamondOctober 22- 23, 2022
Breathing Space Studio, Erieville, NY – limited to 16 participants

There’s an awakening happening around the world. More and more modern-day intuitives, mystics, and healers are activating their intuitive abilities, stepping into their power, and becoming a light for others. Can you feel that energy, that connectivity, that anticipation? That’s because you have innate intuition within you—an innate awareness and Divine wisdom that’s waiting to be discovered. It’s time for you to truly embrace it and discover the treasure of your own intuition. Come explore ways to better understand what’s happening in your life and what’s to come in the future. Learn how to hear the powerful messages from your very own intuitive heart. To register and/or find out more about Michaelhttps://www.michaeldiamondmedium.com/

Have an idea for a group you would like to see? Send your requests in an email to [email protected] with the subject “Group Ideas.”

The Thought of the Week

Wishing you a peaceful week!