Being stuck at home more often these days can impact our time spent on our phones or computers. I found this article written by Sean Hyson as a simple reminder on healthy habits when using social media platforms. I have to admit that my time on social media was shocking to me when I tracked it the last couple weeks and I don't consider myself a social media type person.

Let me know what you think and if you feel like you can use these types to help you.

5 Ways To Make Social Media Healthier

1. Remember the golden rule. Treat people on social media as you want to be treated. Don’t post harsh comments or pick virtual fights, and don’t support anyone who does. “As Lao Tzu said, ‘See the world as yourself and treat the world as yourself.” 

2. Reduce your usage. “Allow yourself a specific amount of time per day for social media. There are apps that track how much time you’re spending on these platforms; use them [Social Fever and Space are two examples]. Most people will probably see that they’re spending two to three times what they think they are on social media sites. Make a commitment to cut back.” If you find you’ve been scrolling and posting four hours a days, pare it down to three hours, and eventually wean yourself down to one. You may be pleasantly surprised to see how much more time you suddenly have to exercise, get work done, or spend time with people offline.

3. Think about the bigger picture. It’s natural to try to compare ourselves with other people, but doing it on social media is no way to keep score. People aren’t showing you the full version of themselves, so you’re only getting a carefully groomed and edited representation of what they look like, how they think, what they’ve accomplished, etc. There’s no way to know how you really measure up to the other guy, so don’t let it get to you. That will continuously bring you into a state where you don’t appreciate who you are and where you’re at. That’s looking outside yourself for validation and self-worth.

4. Be careful who you follow. There’s one sure way to avoid feeling jealous of people online: don’t follow them. I don’t follow people who only post about their abs or their hot date. I follow people who inspire me, like the dude who used to be 100 pounds heavier and sick who has transformed himself and talks about what he did to get to that place.

5. Get some REAL friends! Social media can only be an adjunct to relationships you’ve already built in the real world; it can never replace them. Don’t think that hitting some milestone number of followers/friends will make you feel loved. There’s something that happens when you’re with people in person. The brain has mirror neurons that control passion and connection and empathy—they let you understand the other person’s position and put yourself in their shoes. With social media, those aren’t activated the same way, and that means you won’t connect with people as deeply, or feel the satisfaction that comes with doing so. Social media is helpful for making people feel connected, but a virtual social platform will never be able to substitute for an in person, heart-to-heart bond.