Striving for ‘Digital Zen’ : Tips for Preventing Digital Burnout

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I started 2020 a bit burnout, both digitally and physically. 2019 was a trying year for many, myself included. But despite its ups and downs, and the many pseudo-apolocalypictic moments it brought, it did leave me with one thing: Clarity. Clarity on the value of building meaningful relationships. Clarity on the importance of disengaging from being ‘liked’, fitting in, or being accepted. Clarity on the importance of guarding (and reclaiming) my time. Clarity on the fact that most things online are rooted in illusion. Clarity on prioritising my mental wellbeing in these social media streets.

You see, at some point last year, there was a tipping point for me. A point where I would publish a mindless tweet while sitting in an Uber in-between meetings in Accra, log off, and come back to a mini ruckus. While I personally do not use the word ‘influencer’ to describe who I am and what I do, the truth is, that is the window some people see me through. It took me a while to fully realise and accept that. I have always had a sense of personal responsibility for what I publish. But now, I am keenly aware of the fact that, for whatever reason, people pay attention to what I say and post, even in those mindless moments when I’m simply living my life or trying to. That realisation set me off a spiral of feelings — from feeling pressured by the weight of expectations, to craving freedom, feeling rebellious, kowtowing to the hype, and playing the digital persona. In the end, it left me emotionally and mentally spent. And so, I did what I’d done so many times before: I took a social media break, and with it, a long hard look at myself. Enter: my January 2020 social media hiatus.

Social Media’s Psychological Impact

I’ve long been fascinated by how social media might affect human psychology, socialising and being. And so, while words like “cyberpsychology” didn’t yet exist, I found myself following research and trends on how we might be affected or changed by digital tools. As it turns out, we are significantly affected by these tools — which means we need to be even more intentional and conscientious about how we use them. Social media can have both positive and negative effects on an individual — it all boils down to how you choose to engage. Are you an ‘active social media user’? Someone who uses social media to share, connect, converse? Or are you more of a ‘passive social media user’. Someone who is more likely to scroll, watch, consume — without actually interacting? This article gives more insight into recent research on how social media might fuel depression, wellbeing, comparison, fear of missing out, anxiety, motivation and so on based on your user type.

As one who uses social media a lot, both for work and personally, I have had to develop a few tools to maintain — or try to achieve — some semblance of balance and digital zen. I took my first social media break in late 2011 to early 2012 while pursuing my graduate degree, for one simple reason: I had papers to write and social media was a distraction. After almost two months entirely off social media, I came back refreshed and with a better sense of myself and my priorities. The feeling is almost similar to what one might experience after a workout, detox or fast. Since then, I’ve tried to take anywhere between two-weeks to an entire month for a social media hiatus each year. I’ve experimented with going off all platforms (2011–12), going off just one or two, staying active on just one, limiting my social media usage to specific periods in a day, and on my most recent hiatus, experimenting with being a passive social media user. Each one had varied results, depending on what my goal was and what was going on with me at the time. But the overall takeaway is that you don’t need social media to exist. Sure, you may be inconvenienced when you want to connect, find or learn about something online, but it kind of forces you to go directly to people instead.

Tips for Managing Digital Burnout

Anyway, the point of this article is to share some simple, every day tips for managing your digital presence and striving for that increasingly elusive digital zen. These are the things I try to do as an active social media user and one whose work is very tied to the digital sphere, and it’s the same things I recommend for my trainees who struggle to remain productive.

Keys to Digital Zen

1. Be clear about why you are on social media. Is it for work, leisure, to socialise, to learn? Write it down, return to it and remind yourself when you go off track.
2. Turn off phone, email and app notifications. This is probably the most important thing you can do for some peace of mind. If it is urgent, people will find other ways to reach you — e.g. a phone call or visit. Research shows that notifications set off the ‘reward’ segments of your brain and release dopamine (the happy hormone) into your system, which leaves you wanting more — and setting you on the path to social media addiction. In fact, many apps are built specifically to take advantage of this.
3. Linked to point 2, you can plan your social media time into your schedule. So for instance, you may check social media three times a day for 30 minutes each — once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once in the evening. That way, you can set app limits, schedule downtime (offline time), restrict who can contact you at what time, etc. Basically, you manage your screen time. Also check out the screen time analytics to find out where and how you’re spending most of your digital life.

Whats App Hacks

1. Specifically for messaging apps like WhatsApp — go to account > privacy. There? Great. Restrict your ‘Last Seen’ to your contacts or nobody and turn off the blue tick (read receipts). You won’t see others’ ‘last seen’ or ‘read’ either — but hey, how’s that for breathing in no pressure or expectation to respond immediately? :)
2. Each of us is probably in one or two WhatsApp groups that do the most. Don’t feel bad about muting the group if you need a break — you can always come back when you are ready. Again, if it is urgent, people will reach out directly.
3. Use WhatsApp primarily for business? Switch to the WhatsApp business app and set up an automated messaging system — craft a polite business ‘away’ message that lets your contacts know you’ll get back to them. I set this up last year and it’s working great so far — extra points for easy, non-invasive business marketing!

Twitter Hacks

1. Ignore the timeline. People always ask me how I keep up with my timeline. The truth is I don’t. I follow about 3,000 people on Twitter and if you know Twitter, you know it is content overload. Reading every single tweet is impossible. So very early on, I decided that any tweet I am meant to see will find me — more speficially, people who want me to see a tweet will either tag me directly or send me a DM. Problem solved. I also go to specific profiles that I find valuable and use my Twitter lists to organise my audience and follow relevant content. I should say though that the “In case you missed it” feature on Twitter is gold. You can also set the app to show you ‘top tweets’ first, instead of latest tweets. Overtime, the app learns what content or accounts you prioritise. Scary, I know.
2. Team #NoFollowBack. I’ve always been, and probably always will be. Because YOU determine the quality of your social media experience and it all boils down to who you choose to follow (back) ie. allow into your network or agree to receive content from. Refer back to point 1 if you need to.
3. Choose not to engage. I did a lot of this last year while dealing with personal attacks, insults and so on from people and trolls who didn’t know how to simply communicate their disagreement. You don’t have to engage. The good news is that the ‘Block’ function is still active, and now you can also mute specific accounts, tweets or conversations — and even hide nasty replies to your tweets!

Instagram Hacks

1. Instagram is the motivation mecca of all the apps. Make sure you follow accounts that inspire, uplift and encourage you. Can’t think of any? Simply follow the hashtag #Motivation or #Inspiration to get started. Make your time on IG work for you!
2. Although Instagram is one of my favourite apps, the truth is it is one of the biggest culprit apps when it comes to fueling FOMO or social comparison. If nobody told you, I’m telling you: it is okay to unfollow your favourite Instagram account if you find yourself swimming in feelings of insufficiency, envy, comparison. I have had a few of my IG followers do so, and then tell me in person. I have done so myself. There’s no need to apologise either. You are human, you can’t always be on, or happy, or in an agreeable mode. You shouldn’t have to. Take care of yourself. Prioritise your wellbeing.
3. I don’t remember the last time I received an Instagram notification, and guess what: I have not died! Instagram has the highest engagement of all the apps, hence me repeating this. Turn off the notifications for peace of mind.
4. Track your IG activity to see just how much time you are spending oogling over what someone else had for lunch. When you could have been making your own delicious meal. Yes, I am side-eyeing you LOL. On a more serious note, go to the Menu > Your Activity to see your daily average. You can also set a daily reminder to limit your time on IG.

Productivity Hacks for Social Media Professionals & Heavy Users

1. Work with social media? Start using social media scheduling apps. There are a whole ton for various platforms. Some of my favorites: Buffer and Later. Let the machines do the work while you rest or spend some quality time offline.
2. Why are you posting that? Ask yourself this frequently and you’ll get better at removing yourself from the rat race and social comparison.
3. Digital burnout? There are apps for that — the Screen time feature on iPhone is useful for managing your online presence or use of specific apps like Twitter, Instagram or WhatsApp. You can also explore mindfulness and wellbeing apps like Calm for guided meditation or moments of peace throughout the day.
4. Delete that culprit app. Find yourself addicted to one specific app? Delete it or try an alternative. You can always come back if you REALLY need to. It might not be the easiest if you live in a country like Ghana where WhatsApp is essential for communication, but if you really want to be rebellious, ditch WhatsApp and go with an alternative like Telegram instead.
5. Take a hike. Literally. But also, when all else fails, do a digital reset with a social media break — for one platform, all of them, whatever works best for you. Take it from someone who has been to the other side numerous times: you are not missing much (although your brain will try to convince you of that).

Bon, that’s a lot, but I hope you find one hack in there that works for you. Wishing you all a digitally zen 2020!

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