Social Media and Mental Health: Is There a Good Side to Social Media?

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As part of my social media and mental health blog post series, I’ve discussed a range of topics. I’ve looked at how to take a social media break, how to stay safe online and a few things to do instead of scrolling on your phone.

However, despite the negative impact of social media on our mental health – there’s also a positive side to social media!

Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Discord, Substack… all social media platforms have a positive side – and each channel can offer a sense of community, inspiration and socialisation for people worldwide.

In this blog post, I’ve put together some of the positives of social media, including how you can effectively use online social spaces for your freelancer career without damaging your mental health.

The positive side of social media: My experiences

I’ve tried out a range of social media platforms for my personal life and career – and I think I’ve finally found a way to use online spaces without damaging my mental health.

Let’s take a look at the positive side of social media and other digital spaces.

Community

Social media is great for building a community. After all, that’s why it was created!

From Discord to Twitter, every platform has the potential for community. You can:

• Make friends
• Find out about upcoming events
• Meet people who like the same things as you

If you don’t know anyone in “real life” who likes reading, why not connect with the book blogging community? Or you could start a Substack newsletter about literature to reach out to like-minded people.

As a freelancer, I spend a lot of time working from home by myself. LinkedIn helps me keep in touch with freelance “colleagues” and I can find out about social or networking events. Without it, I would find my work very lonely.

Building new skills

There are lots of benefits of using social media for businesses or individuals looking to build new skills. If you want to build new skills on social media, you could:

• Follow leaders in your industry for tips and tricks
• Message a colleague or industry leader for advice
• Research a new topic
• Find out about training courses

You can also use social media to understand new trends or get inspiration from other people, for your work or your personal interests.

Promoting yourself

As a freelancer, it can be hard to know how to promote yourself effectively – whether you’re trying to find new clients or you just want to market your translation services.

Social media is a fantastic place to promote yourself. You can connect with like-minded people and start interesting conversations – and maybe even turn some of those conversations into new freelance gigs.

There really is no telling where a social media connection will lead. You could end up with a new job or even a great friendship – it’s one of the great benefits of social media for freelancers and remote workers.

If you’re not a freelancer, social media is a free place to build a personal brand for yourself. You might want to express a bit of creativity or you might just enjoy connecting with other people.

How to look after your mental health on social media

Social media can be positive – but you need to know how to use it. I’m a big advocate of taking breaks and I don’t think social media is the be-all-and-end-all. If you don’t want to be on social media, you don’t need it.

However, if you want to use social media for your freelance work without it affecting your mental health, there are a few key practices to follow.

Let’s take a look at how to look after your mental health on social media.

Choose your platforms

It’s all about finding the right social media channel for you. I like to use LinkedIn, and I occasionally use Twitter to market myself as a freelancer, too. However, I know that Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and other social media platforms drain my energy.

If you find yourself getting angry whenever you use Twitter – avoid it. Or if you find yourself wasting hours on TikTok – get rid of it.

Choose the platforms you want to use – and stick to them. This can help you avoid mindless scrolling and you can enjoy your time online, rather than seeing it as something negative.

Find your people

If you want to use social media in a positive way, you need to find your people. This means engaging with people who have the same values, experiences or ideas as you – and building yourself a community.

For me, I’ve found my people on LinkedIn and Twitter. On Twitter, I can engage with other bloggers. On LinkedIn, I’ve created a community of freelance connections – and I’ve made some great friends, too.

By finding your people, you can also banish negativity from your social media feed. You can curate a feed filled with positive messages so that a short time on social media won’t sap your energy.

Limit your time online

I’ve removed all social media platforms from my phone – and I’ve taken steps to reduce how much time I spend on social media on my desktop, too.

Set yourself limits so that you can spend fun time online without it starting to affect your mental health.

Stop aimless scrolling by making social media more of an intentional place. Check your chosen platforms and use them for specific reasons, such as speaking to friends or connecting with new clients, and then log out.

You don’t want to fall into negative habits, as it’s these habits that can start to affect your mental health.

Think about what you’re taking on

There’s so much going on in the world – and all of it is on social media. You want to limit what you’re taking on while you use social media.

If you have specific triggers, think about what you’ll see online. Avoid social media at certain times or mute accounts that bring you down.

If you want social media to be a fun, productive or social place, you need to avoid doom-scrolling. Curate your feed to show you posts that bring joy – and take a step back if you start to notice social media getting you down.

So, is there a good side to social media?

There are two sides to social media! On the one hand, it’s a great place to advertise your freelance services, meet friends and find people with common interests.

But, on the other hand, the negative effects of social media can creep up on us. It’s so important to put limits, breaks and rules in place to make sure social media remains a positive influence in your life – and there’s nothing wrong with stepping away when you need it.

As I come to the end of my social media and mental health blog post series, I’ve loved looking at the ups and downs of social media.

By staying safe, avoiding mindless scrolling and understanding exactly how to look after your mental well-being, social media can become an intentional place with a positive side – but you need to find the right balance for you.

How do you use online spaces? Do you think there are any positives to social media? How do you stay connected with people in your industry?

Let me know all your thoughts in the comments 🙂

Happy reading x