Self Love & Social Media
Setting healthy boundaries with technology (texts, e-mails, and social media).
This is a continuation of my previous blog entitled Self Love & Boundaries: Setting Healthy Boundaries at Work & at Home.
Setting boundaries with technology is very important especially if you have a problem with anxiety or feeling overwhelmed.
You might fight me on what I am about to tell you but, it is very important for your mental and emotional health.
TURN OFF YOUR NOTIFICATIONS!!!!!!!
Let’s get real. There is absolutely no reason for you to be alerted every. single. time. someone likes one of your Instagram posts.
It is time for a notification cleanse.
Before we go into the notifications you should turn off, please always use your own discretion and only leave on the notifications that make sense for you.
For example, if you are a doctor dealing with life and death circumstances, obviously you might want to leave some notifications on. OR, if you are waiting for an important email at work, then leave email alerts on.
unless a notification is a matter of life or death or specific to your current situation, TURN IT OFF! You don’t need it.
Notifications to turn off (including but not limited to):
Facebook messenger
Facebook friend requests, likes, comments, and posts
Instagram messages
Instagram follows, likes, and comments
Emails - (yes, emails!!!) - Set a dedicated time each day where you will sit down to check and respond to emails. Get strict about what is really important and what isn’t.
Text messages - (yes, text messages!!!!) - unless you are expecting a specific text message for a specific purpose, there is no reason you need to have these on all hours of the day.
Again, use your discretion. For example, if you are a mom with young children, then maybe keep your notifications on for just your kids.
Calls - (yes, calls!!!!!) - see Text messages above
Going on a notification cleanse isn’t easy.
But they are completely worth it.
Notification cleanses help you:
Practice setting healthy boundaries with your time
Take back your time (and your sanity)
Train other people to realize you are not a 24/7 customer support center and they should respect your time
Increase self-esteem and start seeing your time and energy as a valuable resource
And so much more!
Practical tips to make the most of your notification cleanse:
Start small and work your way up.
Focus on the benefits this will have on your mental and emotional health.
Remember, the world isn’t going to fall apart if you take a few extra minutes to respond to someone, I promise.
Be brutally honest with yourself. Is keeping a particular notification on really necessary? More often than not, it isn’t.
Always use your discretion. Find the balance between being responsible and being a martyr.
Let people know you’re learning how to manage your time better by turning off some notifications. This will help you avoid going down a guilt spiral when people don’t hear from you right away.
Go at your own pace - start disabling notifications at a pace that won’t send your body into shock.
Remember, SETTING HEALTHY BOUNDARIES IS A LIFELONG PRACTICE SO BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELF AS YOU LEARN AND DON’T EXPECT TO BE PERFECT OVERNIGHT.
WANT MORE?
CHECK OUT THESE TOOLS JUST FOR YOU:
Take the self-love assessment to find out the unique way you Sparkle: Click here to take the Sparkle Archetype Quiz.
Need more help with setting healthy boundaries? Click here for part 1.
Need my help setting healthy boundaries?