Social Media Anxiety for Moms

It’s common knowledge, I hope, that social media is causing extreme states of stress and anxiety. While everyone is talking about how this impacts kids and young adults, a large group that we aren’t talking about is moms. 

Between Pinterest, with its DIY perfectly-iced cookies, and Instagram, with the #FitMom who lost all of her baby weight in 2 months, it’s easy for moms to find themselves trapped in a comparison spiral. According to a TODAY survey, 42% of 7,000 U.S. moms surveyed said that Pinterest caused them anxiety. 

Some moms feel inadequate for not packing the perfect Bento box for their kids’ lunch. Others are wondering if they are incompetent for not being a #Mompreneur or #BossMom. “Fakebooking” is making us post pictures of our kids eating broccoli – even though it was immediately gagged on and then thrown in the trash. 

Being a mom is challenging. It’s more challenging because we set ourselves against many crazy standards. A lot of the anxiety and stress is what we put on ourselves. When we allow our inner critic to come out and tell us that we just aren’t good enough and we never will be. 

Throw social media into the mix and it is now a cesspool of self-doubt, low self-esteem and depleting self-confidence – the perfect storm for troubling mental health. 

As moms, we don’t get to take many breaks. Scrolling through our social media feed has become a way to pass the time when the kids are napping or playing at the park. It’s even a welcome distraction when the kids are throwing a fit that one time we used the blue cup instead of the pink. 

I have a love/hate relationship with social media. While some days I wish it never existed, I understand its value when it comes to finding community. I understand how necessary it is to feel like you belong. I understand how important it is to find role models to aspire to. 

So, instead of telling you to get off social media altogether (heavens forbid!), let’s walk through 3 strategies to make your daily scroll a more pleasant experience –

1. CLEAN UP YOUR FEED: Take note of profiles that make you feel gross. How do you determine if it’s time to unfollow? If a picture of someone’s body makes you criticize yours. If someone’s perfectly decorated house makes you hate yours. If someone’s DIY princess cupcakes plus make-your-own-tiaras table makes you feel like you could never live up to that, unfollow. There’s a fine line between inspiration and comparison. If you find yourself on the comparison spectrum often, it’s time to unfollow.
2. FRESHEN UP YOUR FEED: Remember having interests before we had kids? Bring the spark back for some of those interests by adding them to your daily scroll. Cute animals, crafts, travel, random humor, and nature are all great ideas. My personal favorites are @animaladdicts and @mytherapistsays on Instagram. I mean, there’s nothing better than seeing cute dogs when you’re feeling tired or down. 

3. REPLACE SCROLLING TIME WITH READING: Scheduling complete disconnection and/or downtime from social media can be really beneficial. However, instead of going cold turkey, replace pockets of your scroll with a new book, magazines or articles. This simple swap has allowed me to know less about Kim Kardashian. But, more about how to build an online business! WWin-win 

Life is hard enough. Especially as moms. Comparing ourselves to others or wishing we did more than we do is exhausting and quite frankly, a really big waste of mental space (our kids suck out enough of that from us). 

A final social media tip? As part of the generation that is heavily reliant on social media, let’s be more responsible with what we post and strike a balance between perfect/cute and reality. This way, those who come across our profiles can feel the community and comfort that social media promises. Let’s bring the “social” back to social media and uplift those who may be struggling in a highlight-reel-filled world.

Who’s with me? 🙂