{"id":57563,"date":"2017-04-10T11:15:14","date_gmt":"2017-04-10T15:15:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=57563"},"modified":"2021-11-18T11:38:33","modified_gmt":"2021-11-18T16:38:33","slug":"social-media-addiction-signs-avoid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/lifestyle\/social-media-addiction-signs-avoid\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Media Addiction Is Real: 4 Tips How to Avoid It"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Social
Photo: Twenty20<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Many of us have a love-hate relationship with social media. But when you\u2019re seeking some crowd-sourced support to inspire your fitness routine<\/a>, there\u2019s no denying those \u201clikes\u201d and \u201cyou got this\u201d comments on Facebook or Instagram<\/a> can feel like a giant group hug. It\u2019s like your closest friends collectively clapping when you announce you signed up for a 10K<\/a> race or made the perfect smoothie bowl<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Social media can, in fact, help people achieve their goals<\/a> by providing critical support. A new study<\/a> by researchers at University of Massachusetts Medical School found that people in a weight loss program<\/a> who developed a strong online community on Twitter were more successful than those who didn\u2019t. \u201cWith anything that\u2019s difficult, any kind of positive reinforcement that people get along the way can keep them motivated,\u201d says Christine May, postdoctoral research fellow who led the study.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Strength in Numbers: How to Find Your Fitness Tribe<\/a><\/p>\n

When Social Media Becomes a Downer<\/h3>\n

“Many studies show that people who are online on a regular basis have higher levels of anxiety and depression.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

All that validation feels amazing…until it doesn\u2019t. Psychologists recognize more and more that social media has a dark side. First, it\u00a0tempts people to feel bad about their own lives by comparing themselves to friends who look good in millennial pink yoga pants<\/a> or travel every weekend. On the other side, users\u00a0can also get hooked on the crowd\u2019s adoration.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany studies [like this one<\/a> from the University of California at San Diego] show that people who are online on a regular basis have higher levels of anxiety<\/a> and depression,\u201d says Lisa Strohman, PhD, clinical psychologist and\u00a0founder of the Technology Wellness Center in Scottsdale, Arizona. \u201cPeople are going to social media platforms to make themselves feel better. But then it only makes them feel better if someone has liked one of their photos.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Are Food Porn Holidays Making America Fatter?<\/a><\/p>\n

Some experts even go so far as to label your frequent Facebook refreshing as an actual addiction. \u201cThe term addiction might be harsh, but the brain doesn\u2019t distinguish between rewards coming from substances and rewards coming from behaviors that generate enjoyment, such as sex and gambling,\u201d says Ofir Turel, PhD, professor of information systems and decision sciences at California State University at Fullerton, who has written<\/a> about the neural effects of Facebook addiction.<\/p>\n

\u201cSocial media provides a special type of reward called a variable reward \u2014 you don\u2019t know what to expect every time you log in,\u201d Turel explains. \u201cSometimes your friend posted something interesting. Sometimes you get a lot of likes and sometimes you don\u2019t get any. Over time, the brain learns to expect these rewards and seeks them out more often.\u201d In simple terms, such rewards release the feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine. This\u00a0compels us to log onto Facebook in the middle of the night to get more of it.<\/p>\n

How to\u00a0Spot a Social Media Addiction<\/h2>\n

So, how can you tell whether your Insta impulse is unhealthy? It should hold a lower spot on your priority list than real-life pursuits, such as working, socializing and actually admiring the new spring flowers, rather than simply posting about them, says Turel. The good news is that unlike hard drugs, you\u2019re not a slave to Facebook or Snapchat<\/a>. Most people\u2019s social media addiction is on the mild side, explains Turel, whose research shows that it\u2019s possible to get it under control.<\/p>\n

To help you stay sane with social media and keep your usage in check, follow these four powerful strategies.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Hygge, Fika and How Getting Cozy Can Make You Happier<\/a><\/p>\n

4 Tips for Finally Putting Down Your Phone<\/h2>\n

1. Set times to check it.<\/h3>\n

You\u2019ll still keep up on your friends\u2019 posts when you spend less time online. If you\u2019re used to checking your favorite sites every few minutes, Strohman suggests challenging yourself to peek at them once an hour. \u201cMaybe you can work up to a couple times a day. Or even shut them off one full day a week,\u201d says Strohman. (She practices \u201cTech-Free Tuesday\u201d with her kids at home.) A crucial step:\u00a0Stay off your devices right when\u00a0you wake up or before you go to sleep<\/a>. \u201cWe absorb the equivalent of six newspapers a day, but our brains weren\u2019t developed to handle this. We need time to actively recover,\u201d Strohman says. After all that’s information overload at its finest.<\/p>\n

If you need a little help limiting your screen time, try an app or online tool, such as Moment<\/a> and BreakFree<\/a>.\u00a0Both will\u00a0track your phone usage.<\/p>\n

2. Don\u2019t expect anything in return.<\/h3>\n

People who receive a strong sense of support through social networking sites are particularly vulnerable to this\u00a0addiction. That’s according to a study<\/a> at Western Connecticut State University on factors that create such dependency among young adults. In other words, it\u2019s the same dynamic for dieters looking for \u201clikes\u201d when they post a progress pics of their weight loss results.<\/p>\n

What you should do: Post for your own sake, simply because it feels good to share what\u2019s going on in your world. \u201cYou should be OK if no one responds,\u201d says Strohman. \u201cYou want to depend on your own internal purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Remember that people\u2019s responses aren\u2019t about you.<\/h3>\n

You\u2019ll feel better when you stop trying to make sense of why one friend responds to one post and not the other, says May. Some people avoid responding to depressing posts, such as \u201cI had a difficult week.” Often times, they just don\u2019t know how to acknowledge tough subjects. \u201cThey might be uncomfortable and don\u2019t want to make you feel worse,\u201d says May. \u201cOr if they\u2019re struggling with their own weight, they might feel awkward congratulating you.\u201d Whatever their reasons, don\u2019t let comment stinginess bring you down.<\/p>\n

4. Aim to inspire others.<\/h3>\n

A couple years ago, when college student Macy Vonderschmidt embarked on a 12-week fitness quest, she created the Instagram account @macys_fitlife<\/a>. There,\u00a0she posted pics of her meals<\/a> and workout selfies. After developing a habit of obsessively tallying her responses, she decided to check less and post with the intention of helping others. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to be this annoying person who was posting for attention,\u201d says Vonderschmidt, 21, a senior at University of North Carolina at Charlotte who now has nearly 50,000 followers. \u201cThe way I look at Instagram is to empower others by being relatable and funny. It\u2019s not to validate myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

This subtle shift in perspective helped her enjoy the camaraderie of the fitness community. \u201cThe likes, the followers and recognition really mean nothing to me,\u201d she says. \u201cThe daily support, love and inspiration I get from my audience means everything. It\u2019s really something special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn the difference between posting for yourself versus others. It just might make you enjoy life more \u2014 and not only\u00a0the social media side.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We all crave some Insta love! But the quest for \u201clikes\u201d can hurt your self-esteem. Learn how to avoid social media addiction with these strategies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":57591,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,12,15],"tags":[159,134,254,282,341,360],"class_list":["post-57563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-mental-health","category-stress","tag-anxiety","tag-body-image","tag-instagram","tag-stress","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2stress-management"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57563"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57563\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}