The Best Ways to Avoid Social Media Burnout
If you’re looking for a way to decompress, turn off the screens, and give yourself a break from the slave that is your online life, here are our favorite ways to avoid social media burnout.
Posted 2 years ago
Written by
Mackenzie TaylorPosted 2 years ago
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and as a social media manager, it’s important to maintain your mental health when it comes to being online … all the time. It’s so easy to get sucked into the world of social media when it’s your full-time job, so how in the world do you unplug and let yourself actually, you know, relax? If you’re looking for a way to decompress, turn off the screens, and give yourself a break from the slave that is your online life, here are our favorite ways to avoid social media burnout.
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How to stop social media burnout?
Set boundaries and expectations
The first step to not having burnout when it comes to social media management? Setting boundaries and expectations for you and your clients! It’s important that when you start with a new client or start your new role in social media, you set boundaries for yourself.
Are you willing to work on the weekends? Is there a certain time you will be clocking off at the end of each night? Let people know and don’t bend the rules so people know exactly what your boundaries are for work.
We know how much of a struggle it can be to say “no,” especially when you’re just getting started but start small!
If your to-do list is getting to be too overwhelming, can you hire someone to help you tackle your list? Can you delegate the work to someone else? Is there anything that can be reprioritized or moved around?
Take the time to look over your list and understand your boundaries when it comes to working!
Know and show your worth
Sadly, social media managers are usually underpaid and underappreciated. 😩 While a lot of businesses and companies are aware that they need social media but don’t allocate funds to social media managers who do a lot of freaking work!
So if your company is hung up on the thought that social media is “just posting a photo or video” on Instagram and Facebook, show them the work you do! Advocate for yourself and track your hours to explain how much time and effort you put into the work that you do.
Social media management is HARD WORK. And it’s time we all start advocating for ourselves and the work that we do!
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Work smarter, not harder
We know how easy it is to spend hours and hours on social media. We all get sucked into our screens and sometimes it might feel like it’s easier to post content on the fly instead of scheduling it out, but we promise, it really isn’t.
Think of how long it takes for you to post something off the cuff. You have to find the image, write the caption, find the hashtags, and that’s only ONE post.
We highly recommend scheduling your content in advance and actually being able to step away from your phone.
If you’re needing a tool to schedule your content in advance, we highly recommend trying a free 7-day trial with Flick and use our scheduler!
Monitor your screen time
Ever get that pesky little notification from your phone that tells you your screen time is up 300% because you spent all of Tuesday night watching TikTok until 3am? Same.
If you’re needing time away from the screen (and who doesn’t?), we’ve got some tools for you:
- Use your phone’s app limits. On the iPhone, you can actually set a certain time limit for you to be able to use your apps, like Instagram and TikTok.
- Set a bedtime for your phone. Again, your phone should have this as a built-in feature that shuts down all of your apps on your phone at a certain time.
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Prioritize self-care
Yes, you. You! You need to start prioritizing self-care for yourself. When you start feeling burnt out, it’s important to take some time to do stuff that makes you feel happy and lets you rest and take some time away from work!
Not sure what to do? Well, some of our team’s favorite things to decompress are:
- Meditating
- Reading
- Exercising
- Cooking food
- Dancing
Ask for help when you need it
Oof. A hard one for a lot of people but it’s something that is SO important to start learning: ask for help when you need help!
Don’t be embarrassed to ask for help. It’s a lot better to ask for it before you start drowning in work and not feeling like you’re getting a breath of air.
And trust us, a lot of people actually WANT to help you but you have to be able to reach out and ask.
💡 Flick’s Tip: Stuck trying to come up with content ideas for the month ahead? We’ve got you! Test out our AI Social Media Assistant to brainstorm content ideas in seconds along with the best on-brand captions for your social media posts. Click the banner below to get started with a 7-day free trial of Flick!
Maintain healthy habits
Something that we’re bad at (but we’re working on it, okay?!) is maintaining healthy habits away from social media. So how in the world do you stay healthy when you’re working in social?
- Do eye yoga to protect your eye health.
- Take regular breaks away from the computer
- Go on a walk and move your body
- Get a good night’s sleep
- Keep your phone out of the bedroom at night
Celebrate victories
Okay, this might be one that makes you cringe but it is *much* needed. Keep track of the positive feedback you get! Save those DMs and tweets. Screenshot your favorite comments. Having those moments when the job is really tough and going back to those comments that make you smile is so important.
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Take a social media break
Yes, the hardest one to do. Take a break.
It’s time. Whenever you’re feeling burnt out and feel like you’re on the verge of tears, it’s time to step away and take a break.
Honestly, when was the last time you have taken a social media break? And if you say “never,” it’s WELL past time for you to say “BOI BYE” to social media … for at least a week.
We know it sounds scary but we promise you’ll be better for it and your brain will thank you!
If you’re in need of help and want someone to talk to, reach out to one of the numbers below based on where in the world you live:
- Contact the National Suicide Prevention lifeline at 800.273.TALK (8255)
- Contact Crisis Services Canada by calling 1-833-456-4566 or texting 45645
- Contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741
- Call The Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123 (UK)
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