5 Tips for Crafting a Positive Scrolling Experience

Admit it - we swipe through addictive social media like a kid racing through a candy store—fast, nonstop, and barely noticing how much time or sugar we've consumed.What if, instead, scrolling can be turned into a positive source of motivation or mental health boosting? Let's look at how we can improve our scrolling experience!

The Scroll Toll: What Time Are we Spending Scrolling, Really?

Social media is the elephant in the room, and let's be real. Studies show that users’ excessive scrolling, especially for teenagers, is out of control. A research analysis published in the Journal of Public Health claims that problematic smartphone use is, to some degree, related to depression in youngsters.

Content Consumption: What are We Engaging With on Social Media?

A survey conducted recently showed that an average American uses their phone for 4 hours and 30 minutes a day. As bad as this sounds, it's not only the duration of time we waste that is problematic, but also the content being consumed. Social media is highly known for glamourizing vapid lifestyles, for the fostering of unnerving social comparisons, and for increasing unwanted news.

The Mental Health Effect: It Is More Than Just a Bad Day

There is an ever-growing evidence supporting the relationship between poor mental health and overspending the time online. An 2024 empirical review reported that there is a strong two-way connection between anxiety and social media usage. Additionally, research conducted in BJPsych Open found that those who spent more than three hours on social media tend to suffer from depressive symptoms, especially so among children, teenagers, and young adults.

Occupying Space with Positive Messages: Follow the Leaders of Light

How do we reclaim our virtual real-estate? It involves following people more mindfully. Here’s how.

1. Audit Your Feed: Take a deep breath, and spend a minute scrolling through your current feed. Spot user accounts that consistently reduce your self-esteem or encourage unattainable outcomes. Unfollow or silence them.

2. Seek Positivity: Follow people that teach, motivate, or simply make your day better. Whether they are motivational speakers, satirists, or educators, ensure that they contribute positively to your mind’s environment.

3. Balance the News: As much as you would want to be informed, unfiltered negativity can be jarring. Consider including sources like Good News Movement to counterbalance the sour news.

4. Reduce Scrolling Time: Use screen time limits and alarms to bring more awareness to the time you are spending on social media and news feeds.

Fostering A Positive Online Environment: The Best Resources

Scrolling has become synonymous with social media platforms, but these accounts and platforms help to promote happiness, inspiration and motivation.

• Good News Movement (@goodnews_movement) - Compiles and shares heartening and uplifting stories from different parts of the world.

• Upworthy (@upworthy) - Covers the finest actions of social change, compassion, invention, and humanity’s finest deeds and services.

• The Happy Broadcast (@the_happy_broadcast) - Makes anxiety-free broadcasts with a central focus on hope and progress.

• The Dodo (@thedodo) - Speaks of heart-melting animal stories that make you feel good, guaranteed to brighten your day. Personal favorite of mine!

• Jay Shetty (@jayshetty) - Motivationist and a former monk who provides practical wisdom around mindfulness and mental health.

• Mel Robbins (@melrobbins) - Talks on emotional resilience, confidence, productivity and offers actionable, practical advice on them all.

Improving Human Interactions: Over and Above the Screen

Having gone through the COVID-19 pandemic, now we need to evaluate how our online behaviors are affecting our relationships. Social distancing has resulted in strained ties with family and friends, and spending too much time online further aggravates the problem. Indeed, excessive screen time can lead to social isolation, reduced face-to-face interactions, and weakened relationships.

To counteract this:

• Set Limits: Reserve certain times to check your social media platforms to allow for more real-time connections.

• Engage in Person: Set aside time in your weekly schedule for off-line activities with family and friends to strengthen relationships without the use of digital devices.

• Be Available: Mindfully pay attention to the conversation without checking your phone every five minutes like it is seeking your undivided attention.

Go Boring: A Theoretical Approach

Whenever these fail, then make your phone less attractive. Some people have found success by switching their phone display to grayscale, turning off non-essential notifications, or even deleting addictive apps altogether. Such measures can prevent compulsively scrolling and encourage more productive use of gadgets.

In Conclusion: The Importance of Purposeful Scrolling

While technology's impacts are positive, we must also consider its more harmful effects. Through mindful boundaries, prioritizing social interactions, and curating online spaces, we can transform scrolling into a good habit. The content we confront online can be quite overwhelming, and with all the social media available, it is easy to forget to take the necessary breaks that are vital for our mental health. Therefore, if social media is to be used in beneficial ways, consider making these changes to create a more positive experience and improve your mental health.

---

For more tips and professional support, visit www.sandiego-therapy.com. Fill out the contact form to schedule a free 15-minute consultation with Anissa Bell, LMFT, and find out if therapy is a good fit for you.