One of the inspirations I had for creating Natural Baller came from witnessing the negative effects social media has on its users’ self-esteem. We now have millions of people’s highlight reels at our fingertips. We also have access to their opinions of us, which has become a measure of our own worth. We have grown up receiving praise for a filtered face and life that is more pretty and perfect than our reality, and all of this can be very damaging to our self-esteem. Whether you are willing to admit it or not, social media plays a role in the way we see ourselves, and it is important to create an online environment where we feel safe and confident. Below, I am sharing 6 easy ways you can take back your control and develop a better relationship with your phone and consequently, yourself.

6 Ways to Improve Your Relationship With Your Phone:

1. Remind yourself that social media is a highlight reel. Never allow yourself to compare your low days with the curated highlights of others you see online.

2. You are in charge of who you follow. If you find yourself feeling jealous or inadequate as you scroll through social media, unfollow those accounts.

3. Tech companies have worked to make social media highly addictive and keep us on our phones. If you catch yourself going down a rabbit hole online, ask yourself if you feel good about how you are spending your time.

4. Give your phone a curfew. Set a time each night when you are done looking at your phone. Commit to plugging it in and leaving it there until morning.

5. We are in the age of misinformation, don’t take everything you read online as truth.

6. Sit down and write out your favorite ways to spend your time, then check your screen report in your phone settings. Adjust your habits accordingly so that your screen time does not overpower your real life. 

While the term “social distancing” as it relates to preventing the spread of COVID-19 protects us physically, there’s a version of it we can implement to improve our mental health. This month we are social distancing online by evaluating who we follow. We are going through our social media channels and unfollowing or unfriending any accounts that stress us out or make us feel insecure about the way we look or what we have going on in our lives. If unfollowing someone makes you feel uncomfortable for some reason, mute them! This is a crucial step in creating a safe and positive online environment for yourself. We call it - SOCIAL DISTANCING.

*Note: If you are feeling motivated to change the way you use your phone, I recommend watching the thought-provoking Netflix documentary "The Social Dilemma".