5 Tips on Surviving in the Age of Social Media
I like social media but let’s be real, some of us have too many priorities in real life than to keep people updated about our lives online. Everything gets blurry and some people give off a sort of unrefined authenticity. Sure, I love my friends and I would like to keep up with them but it’s always better to have a conversation and look into their eyes than seeing what their life is like through my own screen; it may be something that I may perceive differently than who they really are as an individual. On the internet, photos and videos are edited, and apparently, people can turn into a catfish nowadays. The idea of attentively listening and how each of us learn at our own pace goes a long way. We need to listen with our eyes, ears, and mind and processing everything with our mind at a slow pace unlike the massive amount of BS on the internet that quickly passes through our feed (or filter bubble to be exact). The manipulation of media can turn us into thirsty dwellers wanting to refresh our feeds. To soothe the social creatures that we are, I will give some personal tips on how I conquer online self-care:
1. It can feel overwhelming on the interwebs, so it’s nice to space out and go for a walk. Yes, the first step is self-explanatory but it also makes the most sense to go outside and get fresh air, you filthy soft-grunge memeified person. Join a friend for some coffee and have a real conversation, not about some irrelevant celebrity who broke up with who but seize the moment for what it’s worth. Give unsolicited advice, laugh or cry, and just BE YOU!
2. Do something new or exciting that makes you love life. Use all six of your senses. Do something that you shouldn’t feel the need to brag about on the internet. Everyone should be a good storyteller, and the storyteller himself should be a well-developed, authentic person in order to engage with his audience.
3. Work on your career goals, or any other goals. it’s always good to have a strong point of focus other than social media, as I’ve reiterated so far. Make a giant collage of your weaknesses, strengths, goals, inspirations. Get crafty with images and quotes. Think about your purpose and things that you’d hope to achieve in your lifetime. For me, I personally enjoy a good work out, it makes me feel liberated and free. Overtime, it feels like all my negative thoughts are diffusing from my mind because I’m pushing my body to its limit.
4. Tell yourself words of affirmation, and integrate it into your daily life. You are in control of everything you see, and how you perceive things. You are NOT a product of the internet. You are your own person and you do not need to broadcast every single detail of your life. It’s better to get to know a person by speaking to them rather than stalking them online. (Okay but when online dating, there’s a special case for that. ALWAYS stalk them first in case they may be a criminal okay?!!!)
5. Tune out your personality, by that I mean…try to step out of your comfort zone and disregard your own self to imagine that you’re inside the body of a newborn baby. Listen in on strangers’ conversations and see if you can learn something (sketchy I know, but it’s fun and entertaining) I like doing this on the subway, try it and tell me how it goes.
