Is social media contributing to your burnout?
Answer me this Q: Raise your hand, if scrolling through social media – makes you feel less than. Envious…worried…“I’m not good enough”….
If you said “Yes” – (1) It’s not just you (2) That means we have some low-hanging fruit to calm your burnout, ASAP.
WHAT WE FOUND ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA + BURNOUT
We were stunned to see the numbers from The Burnout Study in Women – THOUSANDS of you felt the same. After using social media, you’re far more likely to feel NEGATIVELY about yourself (envy, worry), than positive (see graphic) – and that is specifically the biggest factor in how social media contributes to burnout.
Why? On social media, we’re comparing ourselves to a highlight reel of some perfect, “do it all” avatar: she runs a Fortune 500 company, feeds her kids an organic dinner that she grew in her backyard, meditates, runs, and is adored by her soulmate + Clooney doppelgänger husband…,
…and she does NOT exist. PLEASE hear me.
IMMEDIATE STEPS TO TAKE WHEN YOU FEEL THIS
- Recognize that it’s an entirely predictable response to the content + algorithms. If nothing else, simply be aware of this. Start to see it not a red flag/reflection on YOU, but on your social media feed.
- Log off. Our study showed – contrary to pretty much everything else you read – that when looking at social media’s affect on our burnout + mental health, the biggest driver isn’t TIME spend, but how much it makes feel these negative emotions. You can come back to social media later, but just recognize this red flag and the minute you start to feel these emotions, get off.
5 EXTRA WAYS TO CURB SOCIAL MEDIA-RELATED BURNOUT
- CHALLENGE it. Is what you’re seeing actually REAL? Do you think that perfectly made-up mom woke up like that? I call B.S.
- Think of your highlight reel. Remember – what you’re seeing are people’s highlight reels of their lives. Honestly? ANY ONE of us could take couple of amazing shots and put them together – if you took small snapshots of our lives. So try this exercise – take a minute and visualize – what are the really fabulous moments of your last year? What would YOUR highlight reel look like? Sometimes, just that exercise can make you feel better.
- Use the power of unfollow (or mute). If a single account consistently makes you feel just not enough, goodbye. Don’t like what the algorithm feeds you? Mark “Not interested”.
- Prevent it. When we’re already feeling glum, we’re more likely to “zombie scroll” : blankly scroll through the images of beautiful people on perfect vacations. Try to avoid picking up the phone until you feel better.
- Limit use. Set the phone out of reach when you’re home, resist the urge to just pick it up when you have time to fill, and limit yourself to 10 minutes, max (yes. Set a timer). For me? Even though I have a career that requires social media presence, I make a point of very little “scrolling”. I get on, find and engage with accounts and women who I enjoy, and get off.
Remember: idealized, “do it all” messages on social are neither realistic nor worth your time. Toss ‘em and focus on what YOU are accomplishing.
Because you’re doing an amazing job. And I really mean that.
All my best,
- Dr. Darria
**This post was also contributed to by Dr. Christopher J. L Cunningham and Dr. Kristen Jennings Black, co-authors on The Burnout Study in Women.
**Additional contributing researcher, Cecily Sullivan.
What’s causing YOUR burnout? We developed a quiz to ID your top causes – and give personalized recommendations to curb it ASAP.
Thank you to the amazing sponsors of The Burnout Study in Women, Luna Bar and Computers4Kidz.
