One Social Media Tip that Will Help Parents Live Their Best Life

One Christmas, we decided not to fight with our daughter about how many treats she could eat. We simply let her eat whatever and whenever she wanted that day. Well, she ate so many Dum Dums she puked. We saw firsthand that in life, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Social media is another one of those things.

So even as social media becomes ever more prevalent, this one tip will help you live your best life.

Social Media Today

Since its invention in the late 1990’s, social media has grown in its capabilities and reach. In the big picture, we can now get updates literally every second from all over the world. These platforms allow us to connect with old friends and strengthen new relationships. News, inspiring content, and entertainment easily find their way into our homes and lives through social channels.

At a very individual level, many of us turn to our favorite media platforms for real help. We seek advice on topics from how to decorate to how to help a struggling child. In a day filled with kids and chaos, we may seek connection online. It represents an escape from stress. Social media can definitely be a good thing.

One Vital Tip for Social Media Use

However, like Dum Dums on Christmas, too much social media can make us sick and hurt our families. So here is one vital tip that will help you live your best life: limit your use of social media.

While it may be a hard habit to break, using less social media will benefit you as a parent and your family. The following four big reasons identify some of the pitfalls and highlight why it’s totally worth it to cut back.

1. Save Time from the Addictive Draw

I pull up my Facebook feed and scroll through. A friend shares her growing baby bump. Another celebrates his anniversary with photos from their trip. I click on “See More” to read what a relative really thought. I scroll and scroll and feel the desire to get caught up. But the feed never ends. Just like that, thirty minutes are gone.

Social media sucks us in and keeps us coming back for more. It’s a draw that even utilizes the same brain pathways as casinos and other addictive behaviors. Companies make their money from the time and attention we give their platform, so they are inherently invested in keeping us locked on the screen.

As a busy mom, I really don’t have thirty minutes here and there to spare. At least when I look back, there’s something else I would have rather done with those minutes. Consider what you could accomplish with an extra thirty minutes. What about an hour? Could you have more one-on-one time with your kids, organize your life, or have quality family time?

One study even shows that adults on average spend 2 hours and 22 minutes a day on social media platforms. You could work wonders with an extra 2 hours and 22 minutes each day!

Less time on social media means more time for you and your family.

2. Avoid the Comparison Game

Sometimes we look to social platforms for updates or ideas and instead walk away thinking about all we aren’t doing. Our house doesn’t look like a designer lives here, our kids’ hair is not done flawlessly, we aren’t that fit and fabulous, and dinner looks a lot more like Kraft mac and cheese than a beautifully arranged confection. We are left feeling like we just can’t measure up to expectations or what everyone else is able to pull off.

We feel inadequate.

I don’t blame those posting. That adage about not airing out the dirty laundry goes deep. Additionally, each post really is a snapshot of real life, usually.

Comparison is a mental game that’s played when our insecurities rear, and social media can bring those insecurities front and center. However, we can choose to overcome our insecurities, and we can choose not to compare.

A great way to overcome those insecurities is to step back from social media and focus on what’s going on inside our hearts and homes. Craft meaningful goals, set purposeful routines, and overcome.

3. Greater Intention and Connection

“Mom, you’re not listening!” I looked up from my phone and realized my son was absolutely right. I wasn’t listening to him. Not really.

A quick check or update may seem harmless, but it can distract us completely from the people right there with us and the things we actually care most about. We may set powerful intentions for the day before social media derails our best laid plans with its time-sucking demeanor.

Putting the phone away allows us to focus on the intentions and people we care about most.

4. Set a Powerful Example for Your Kids

“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.” James A Baldwin

As our kids grow up, social media use will be a constant option. 95% of teenagers have or have access to a smartphone. How do you hope your kids will choose to utilize that access?

Keep your family expectations consistent. Hold yourself to the same standards as your kids.

We have the powerful opportunity to set the example for our kids of ideal social media use. Our time allocation can exemplify our priorities. We can use the media in authentic ways that uplift others and strengthen relationships. Social media does not need to interfere with our best intentions or our face to face relationships. If our kids actually do follow our example, let’s be sure that example leads down the path we really want for them.

Action Steps to Limit Social Media Use

1.) Cut Back

• Spend less time using social media either by cutting it out completely for a short time or using it less each day.
• Set specific times when you can or won’t use social platforms. Maybe it will only be after noon or after you’ve finished your goals for the day.
• Consider using an app to track your usage time.
• Turn off notifications.

2.) Evaluate

• After two weeks, evaluate your use and the benefits or drawbacks.
• Did you miss it? Did you have more time for your family? Were you more attentive and connected to your kids?
• What will you do going forward?

Your Invitation

Maybe you’ve never thought of limiting your social media use. Or maybe, a part of you has known for a while that your use of social media is interfering with what you actually want. Perhaps you just needed an excuse, a reset, to change your habits. Let this be that excuse.

Let this be your official invitation to let go of social media and embrace your best life.

Why is it difficult to let go of social media? What benefits have you experienced from limiting your social media use? Share in the comments.

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