How to Have Mindful Social Media Boundaries

Having boundaries with social media usage is incredibly tricky these days. The past year I've really shifted my relationship with social media both in my business and my personal life.

It's a journey and I'm still learning. I still have slip ups, but I’m SO much more mindful.

Social media isn’t fun anymore

A few days ago I took to Instagram to share with my community that Instagram no longer serves me. The response I got was overwhelmingly supportive. It was clear our community misses the old Instagram...back in the day when it was actually fun! See the full post here.

And unfortunately so many small business owners are struggling with social media too. So, I wanted to share what I've been doing to create better boundaries with social media and what I've learned. 

This post does contain some affiliate links. If you decide to make a purchase The Honest Consumer may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.

This blog post shares how I've shifted my boundaries to create a more healthy relationship with social media, things I've noticed since reducing my screen time both in personal and business aspects, and a few tips specifically for small business owners struggling with their social media relationship.

My Relationship with Social Media

Back when I first started my business Instagram was my main platform. It was a great way to connect with people who shared my interest in social responsibility and sustainability.

Instagram was how I first started to monetize my business, but with the algorithm changes and our community not being able to see the content it became draining to create content.

I also found my mental health in general was not where it should be with the endless scrolling, comparing myself to others, and feeling like I HAD to post to stay relevant as a business owner. 

Photo by Olivia Bush

I really hit a breaking point last fall. The holidays were approaching and I was stressed with managing partnerships, at the time I also had an e-commerce store, editing blog posts, creating gift guides, pinning, creating Reels, and it was all too much. I felt like I was creating content that was just burning me out. 

From a professional stand point with social media you always have to be on and creating new content. And then when you put in the effort and the content doesn't do well...it's draining because you have to do it all over again. It's an endless cycle that quite frankly I no longer wanted to be part of.

But I was concerned...if I gave up Instagram (or social media in general) how would that look? 

Would brands still take me seriously? Will my following join me on another platform.

After the holiday season I recognized how I struggled to actually enjoy the holidays and be present with my loved ones. I decided it was time to set boundaries.

How I Started Shifting My Social Media Boundaries

These are a few examples of how I started to create healthier boundaries with social media. 

Delete the Social Media Apps

My friend Nicole mentioned that she had success with deleting the social media apps from her phone, so I decided to start there.

When I first deleted my social media apps there was a lot of retraining. My thumb would automatically go to to where the app icon used to be. My brain would have to check itself and say "hey the app isn't there."

At first I didn't know what to do with myself at the end of the day. However, over time I started doing more creative things I enjoy such as reading, playing the piano, and crafting. 

Photo by Olivia Bush

Not having the apps on my phone really helped me take back some of my power. I had to be more intentional about checking social media.

Having to make the effort to get up, walk to my computer, and pull social media up online gave me a chance to pause and really think about if I need to be on social media. The answer is usually no.

One of the biggest realizations I had from deleting the apps from my phone was I had been taking pictures for other people. Taking pictures can be a great tool to snap a photo for a memory to look back on, but I had been taking multiple pictures preventing myself from living in the moment.

Now that I don't have the apps anymore I simply take a picture that I might want to look back at later and put my phone away. I enjoy the actual experience I'm having more now that I'm not trying to get a shot for social media. 

A few months later I redownloaded the apps for some work stuff and could feel myself getting sucked back in. The endless scrolling came back.

Evaluate the Accounts You Follow

However, redownloading the app made me realize there was some content I missed. I really enjoy mindful content such as meditation stuff, healthy food recipes, and those memes that bring a smile to your face.

This realization made me unfollow, unfriend and hide a lot of accounts from my feed that I felt like were not social media posts bring me joy. I also unfollowed certain business profiles that were super sale focused.

Leave Your Phone in Another Room

For a while I would leave my phone in a separate room after work hours. This allowed me to have some physical distance and not feel tempted to grab my phone.

I think this is a good idea, but it wasn't the most practical strategy for me. In the evenings I would usually end up needing a recipe for dinner or to make phone calls to loved ones. So, this is something I still do on occasion, but not regularly. I do think it’s worth trying.

Read the Book How to Break Up with Your Phone

I highly encourage you to read the book How to Break Up with Your Phone. The first part is an informative break down of how phones and the social media world can impact daily life, mental health, and how our brains work.

The second part is a 30 day plan to learn about your own habits and test out some boundaries. I found this book particularly helpful because it's not about shaming your for the use of your phone, but it's about learning how to find phone use boundaries that work with your lifestyle.

Turn on Focus

Focus mode on my phone has been really helpful. This allows you to limit notifications from select people or apps during certain hours. 

I have created separate focuses for personal and work.

Make a List of Things to Do Instead of Scrolling

I love to make lists and I totally believe that writing things down makes you more likely to actually do them. So, I made a list of things to do instead of scrolling on my phone.

My list included more creative tasks like playing piano, reading, coloring, meditating, journaling, and a few productive tasks such as organizing things around the house. Whenever I went to scroll and din't have the apps, I pulled out my list and picked something to do. 

Tips for Small Business Owners Trying to Have Healthy Social Media Boundaries

I'm a small business owner and I totally get the feelings of I NEED to be on social media for business. Here are a few of my best tips.

Quit trying to do it all

First of all acknowledge that it's okay to let go of things. As small business owners sometimes we try to wear a lot of different hats. And trying to do all the social media platforms just isn't reasonable unless you hire a third party of invest in social media managers. 

Recognize That Overnight Success Isn't Typical

Ugh, the overnight success stories. I think this is one of the big cons of having an online business...seeing these stories. While overnight success happens to some people, I don't think it's the reality.

And social media doesn't always show the hard work that goes on behind the scenes. As a small business owner I know first hand how this can lead to low self-esteem or negative feelings of not feeling like you're running your business correctly and pushing yourself to do more. This can further lead to burnout. 

Take Inventory of What's Working for Your Business

For my business, I was posting to Instagram a few times a week and it wasn't doing anything for me. I wasn't making money from it. People weren't clicking through to my website.

I want to encourage small business owners to take inventory of the different social media platforms and look at what is making you money, what is generating clicks to your website, what platforms are productive?

For me it made sense to focus on my website because it actually brought me income and social platforms that drove clicks to my website, such as Pinterest. 

Who Are You Following?

​Unfollow ANY account that makes you feel unsuccessful or less than. Only follow accounts that inspire you and remind you of why you started your business in the first place.

I realized I was following a lot of "experts" and competitors that I thought I had to follow to stay in the know. When the truth was these accounts continued to make me feel like I wasn't doing enough. 

Again...Delete the Apps

I stated this above and I still think small business owners should do this too! As hard as it might be! If you feel like you need to keep posting use a social media scheduler and schedule your posts out in advanced.

This helps prevent you from endless scrolling and kind of puts your social media on auto-pilot so you don't have to be managing it all the time. Having the apps gone from your phone will give you more free time to focus on other aspects of your business. 

Things I've Learned from Setting Boundaries with Social Media

My journey with this new social media relationship has helped me learn a few things. 

​Not being on social media save me money.

I've honestly been buying less since I've been limiting my social media. I'm not seeing as many new things and am not tempted to make impulse purchases. 

I Take Pictures for Myself Now

Like I said earlier, I would be so caught up in getting a good shot for social media…I’d miss the whole experience. Now, I snap a picture and am done on my phone.

Not being on social media helps me manage my time.

Since I don't end my days with hours of scrolling I'm better at managing tasks around the house and time management in general. I've also noticed my focus is better. 

I’m focused on What IS Working

From a business perspective I’m focused on what’s working. My website has been able to grow so much more now that it is my primary focus. I’m able to focus on building an e-mail list to communicate the blog resources more directly with our community.

​Taking Back Your Time is Powerful

Taking back our time is a powerful thing. Sure, it takes discipline, but it's pretty rewarding. Like I said, I'm not perfect and I definitely have days where I end up scrolling on the computer, but the amount of awareness I have is powerful.

Being able to snap myself out of it and recognize that scrolling isn't doing me any good, is a skill a lot of people haven't practiced yet. 

Social Media Going Forward

Stepping back from my social media accounts and specifically Instagram has been a good thing for me. I've been able to grow my business in so many other ways, I've been able to revisit my hobbies, and I feel like my overall mental health has been in a better place. While I still have anxiety, I have a bit less with my limits on social media.

I've noticed a significant difference in my progress the past seven months and how I even how I just process & enjoy the real world. It sounds dramatic and silly, but it's true. 

Instagram and Facebook are no longer on my phone. I hardly use Facebook or Instagram for personal use. I do send the occasional memes to my friends, but again only on my computer. 

Photo by Olivia Bush

My Instagram profile for The Honest Consumer is still up. I check it from my computer occasionally, but honestly from my own values Instagram isn't really something I want to be a part of. 

The Honest Consumer's Facebook page is still active as it does generate some clicks to my website, but I don't dedicate a huge amount of time to it. I use a social media scheduler to post, so I'm not ending up in the black hole of mindless scrolling.

The only social media app I actually have downloaded on my phone is Pinterest. Pinterest I use for both business & personal.

On the personal side, I feel like Pinterest actually encourages me with positive content such as to try a new hobby, read new books, helps me find new recipes, and other creative things. I still try to limit time on this app and am very mindful of the accounts I follow.

I’ve been focused on growing our weekly mindful living newsletter! I feel like this is a more direct way to communicate the content I’m creating to our community. Please sign up here if you want to support!

Finding best practices and boundaries vary from person to person, so what works for me might not work for you and that's okay.

I hope that my journey has helped give you a few ideas on where to start.  I wish you the best as you explore your own social-media boundaries.