On today’s episode of HighandDry, I have a sit down conversation with a friend about the effects of social media on adolescents mental health.

Resource information for your additional learning:

How combat internet addiction

5 ways to limit your social media intake:

1. Keep apps out of sight and out of mind
Try moving apps from out of Home Screen and into folders, and delete the apps you don’t use. Another great tip is setting designated times for social media use, for example Friday’s between 6-8pm end don't use any other time outside of that

2. You can use apps to help you limit your screen time. Forest app allows you to set a timer and use that time to browse only. Daywise app allows you to schedule times for receiving notifications. And the Do Not Disturb feature on iPhone silences calls and notifications when your phone is locked.

3. Spend an hour a week on a screen free hobby. This can be reading, creative writing, gardening or even going on a walk. Indulge in an activity that allows you to be in the present moment and allow yourself to enjoy it.

4. Enjoy a phone free dinner. Set your phone aside maybe in a different room while eating with family or friends, this will allow you to be fully present in the moment and will force you to use your social skills to connect and communicate with them

5. Leave your phone outside the bedroom. While sleeping, leave your phone in another room to charge so you are not tempted to use it in the middle of the night. This will allow you to get a full night's rest. If you require an alarm clock use a good ole fashion digital clock with an alarm instead.

Article link: https://au.reachout.com/articles/5-ways-to-tame-your-social-media-use

Steps to combat social anxiety

Step 1. Learn about social anxiety
It’s important to understand what is happening to you when you are experiencing uncomfortable social situations. All the worries and physical feelings you are experiencing is called Anxiety and it is normal and adaptive because it helps us prepare for danger however is becomes a problem when our body tells us there is danger when there is no real danger

Step 2. Build your toolbox
If you have social anxiety disorder, there are a number of strategies that can help you learn to overcome your fear of social situations.

Tool 1: observe your social anxiety.
An important first step to learning to manage your social anxiety is better understand your social anxiety. You may experience different symptoms in different social situations. You may begin sweating when talking to coworkers, speaking in a meeting, or going to parties, while in a different scenario you may begin blushing instead. Understand the difference symptoms when they occur

Tool 2: learn to relax.
Feeling anxious can be uncomfortable and scary, by learning to relax you can “turn down the volume” on the physical symptoms. This can be done by:
• calm breathing. We tend to breath faster when we are anxious, this can make us feel dizzy and and lightheaded, calm breathing involves taking slow regular breaths through your nose. The goal of calm breathing is not to eliminate anxiety completely but to help you ride out the physical symptoms as they happen.
• Muscle relaxation consists of learning to relax your body, it involves tensing various muscles and then relaxing them, this can help lower overall tension and stress levels

Tool 3: realistic thinking.
People with social anxiety tend to have negative thoughts about themselves and what will happen in the social situation.
Some examples include:
“No one will like me”
“I’m going to say something stupid”
“I don’t know what to say “
“I’m not as smart or attractive as other people”
“Others will think I’m boring”
It’s important to notice these thoughts and tell yourself these are not facts but merely made up assumptions about the situation that are not true. Recognize that your mind is playing tricks on you and you have the power to listen or not listen to these thoughts.

Step 3: Face your fears
It’s normal to want to avoid social situations due to your anxiety however it will not benefit you in the long run as you will not build up the skills needed to combat the anxiety. You must face your fears and face these situations so each time you do so you will have a new lesson learned.

Step 4: practice practice practice
Practice all that you have learned, use the strategies above and learn from these experiences. Change and tweak these strategies as you see fit or make up entirely new ones, it’s all up to you.

Article link: https://www.anxietycanada.com/sites/default/files/adult_hmsocial.pdf