It’s no surprise that the use of social media platforms during COVID-19 has skyrocketed. As people have been confined to their homes during quarantine, they have sought comfort on their Instagram feeds or scrolling through Tik Tok. Though social media has been a silver lining in 2020, the overuse of it has also led to a dependence on social media that isn’t sustainable; it has caused us to stray from the daily routines that made us feel sane and develop beneficial habits. Targeting the pitfalls of social media misuse can contribute to fostering a healthy relationship between being engaged in your online world, and your mental and physical well-being.

The Social Media Black Hole


Quarantine has completely changed our habits and daily routines. We traded doing our makeup and looking presentable in the morning for lounging around in our PJs all day and working in bed. Everything we once did in person was now moved online: from the online class to virtual hangout sessions, even Church and weddings! While I didn’t miss waking up before my 7 AM in-person lecture, I did realize that the more time I spent on all of my devices, the more distracted I was becoming. There was always a notification to pull my attention away from something important, and I became obsessed with keeping up with all of my social media feeds. I began quarantine with a new personal routine which very quickly lost its purpose and direction as I spent more time online. Social media had quite literally become a black hole swallowing up all my time, energy, and productivity. I realized that I quietly started to depend on it; the first thing I did when waking up was check my Instagram, and the last thing I did before going to bed was watching Tik Toks for hours. I would often procrastinate on taking showers and eating on time to stay online for a “few more minutes.” However, this was all just the tip of the iceberg. When I took some time recently to reflect on how different my days had become, I came to realize that there were further-reaching consequences that arose as a result of my social media overuse.

Unintended Side Effects...


Too much screen time and exposure to social media were causing a shift in the way I was thinking and forming my habits. I realized I was becoming very involved in polarizing things I was reading on my feeds, and it became difficult to separate the world as it appeared on Instagram from my home environment and remain in the present. The little bit of time I did spend interacting with family and the occasional relative who came by my house was heavily influenced by the kinds of content I was consuming online. If I had posted something and it got a lot of attention, that would brighten my mood and overall happiness, while jealousy and FOMO from seeing other people’s progress and achievements were bleeding over into other parts of my at-home quarantined lifestyle. It became obvious to me that I needed to stimulate my brain in other ways so that I could recenter my mood and mindset. I realized that social media had the potential to harm my psyche unless I committed to detaching myself from it in a timely manner for the sake of my mental health. We rely on social media to keep us in touch with the outside world and we hope to stay grounded because of it; however, without a detached mindset, it can really harm our psyche.

Developing a Healthy Relationship with Social Media


After much trial and error throughout this pandemic, I have finally realized that it is possible to balance social media presence with personal well-being and mindfulness. To me, this starts with how I wake up. It is well-studied that the first few actions we take to start our day have a direct impact on our productivity and focus throughout the rest of the day. Instead of checking your phone first thing in the morning, start by meditating for a minute and reflecting on what you have to be grateful for at home. Then, stick to a “normal” school day routine of brushing, taking a shower, and waiting until breakfast to check your notifications. This small difference has given me much more energy and focus as I navigate my days during the pandemic. Furthermore, make it a point throughout your day to do 30 minutes of movement or exercise. It doesn’t have to be an intense workout, it could even be a walk or a short easy run. Either way, it helps you detach from social media and stay grounded. Finally, I have realized that there are ways to even direct social media usage towards content that improves overall productivity and happiness. I use social media as a reward for doing work, and when I use it I try to focus on content that I can learn something from to edify my daily life.

It’s important to realize that being stuck at home is no excuse for losing sight of our aspirations and the routines that led us to success. The above small actionable wins are some of the steps I have taken to allow myself to stay on social media while simultaneously achieving my personal and professional goals. Consistently taking small but impactful steps every day has allowed me to make the most of the difficult times in which we live, and steer clear of the dangers of overusing social media. Now I don’t feel guilty for spending an extra hour on Tik Tok during the day because I know I have good habits I can lean on to relax and rejuvenate myself as need be. There is no rule that says every time you pick up your phone you need to go through your notifications. Write your own rules, use your devices to your advantage, and download apps that help you relax. If you trick your body into thinking that you are getting ready to do work and see people, you then reward yourself with social media only after knowing that you completed your tasks for the day and deserve it. We cannot lose sight of our goals and productivity just because we are stuck at home and our routines are changing. The only way to get closer to achieving this method is by enforcing it yourself every day with little actionable wins.