Mental Health for Content Creators: How to stay sane when you spend so much time on social media!
Maintaining your mental health as a content creator is the most important thing you should do. When we see other content creators (and influencers), the lifestyle can seem glamorous and exciting - but it’s way more stressful and demanding than it might appear. The hustle culture has made us feel like we have to go 24/7 to make movement in our business, but that’s just not the case. Actually, sometimes, taking a step back can lower your stress and enhance your creativity - which we talked about in our podcast episode last week. Let’s stop with the “go, go, go” and learn how to say “no, no, no” when it’s affecting our mental health.
Keeping Sane Tip #1: Just Say No
My first tip on how to keep sane is by learning to say, NO. I absolutely hate saying no - just call me Jim Carrey from “Yes, Man” - because for the majority of my content creation business, I have been saying yes… to everything. Interviews, speeches, brand deals, collaborations, clients (that aren’t a great fit), and even outside of my business, I tend to say yes to things… that deep down, I would rather not do.
But, when you are a people pleaser and have FOMO (which is the fear of missing out) syndrome, like me - it’s hard to know when to say no.
I have been working on this “saying no” skill and one thing I recommend is when someone requests you to do something, ask yourself these questions:
Will this bring me joy?
Do I have time to participate in this activity?
Will it move the needle in my business?
Will this be beneficial to me?
Is this something that will make a difference in a movement I support?
If you answered NO to all (or most) of these, it might be a sign you should pass. For example, someone might reach out to you to participate in a function for an amazing charity that you LOVE - so YES, it would bring you joy and make a difference, but … if you answered NO to “do I have time to participate in this activity” - you might have to pass and instead, maybe offer a donation or ask them to reach out for future functions.
Keeping Sane Tip #2: Screen Limits
In our industry, screens are everything. It’s the way we create, communicate, find entertainment, run our businesses, and more. We are so consumed by our screens that it sometimes can seem impossible to just set our phones down and walk away. But… one of the best ways to find calm in the chaos is to set limits for ourselves. We don’t NEED to be on our screens all the time, but it’s hard to stop, amiright? Recently, I set a few limited for myself regarding work and screens, and it has insanely helped my state of mind. Here are a few ways you can do this for yourself as well.
Set limits on your phone. Now, I use an iPhone, but I am sure other cell phones have these same options. On your iPhone, there are a few settings that can help your success when setting these limitations - here are just two of them.
Schedule time away from the screen: In Screen Time, you can block apps and notifications for periods when you want time away from your devices. For example, you might want to schedule downtime during meals or at bedtime.
In Screen Time, you can block apps and notifications for periods when you want time away from your devices. For example, you might want to schedule downtime during meals or at bedtime.
Go to Settings > Screen Time, then turn on Screen Time if you haven’t already.
Tap Downtime, then turn on Downtime.
Select Every Day or Customize Days, then set the start and end times.
Set limits for app use: You can set a time limit for a category of apps, like your various social media platforms.
I don’t know about you, but there are a few apps that cause me the most issues. This could be TikTok, your email, etc. If you can’t be trusted or just don’t realize how much you’re really spending on these apps, this will take the pressure off of you and will do the honors of cutting you off!
Go to Settings > Screen Time, then turn on screen time if you haven’t already.
Tap App Limits, then tap Add Limit.
Select one or more app categories.
To set limits for individual apps, tap the category name to see all the apps in that category, then select the apps you want to limit. If you select multiple categories or apps, the time limit you set applies to all of them.
Tap Next, then set the amount of time allowed.
To set an amount of time for each day, tap Customize Days, then set limits for specific days.
When you finish setting limits, tap Add.
To temporarily turn off all app limits, tap App Limits on the App Limits screen. To temporarily turn off a time limit for a specific category, tap the category, then turn off App Limit.
To remove a time limit for a category, tap the category, then tap Delete Limit.
✨ There are actually even more, that can be found on apple support, I will have the link in the show notes!
Getting Help. Now, this won’t work for everyone, but something I have done recently is asked support from my team. My mental health really started struggling and I noticed that one of the biggest factors was the anxiety and pressures I was getting from my main business inbox. I would catch myself checking my email the moment I woke up and then constantly having the tab open throughout the day. My heart would SINK when I saw a notification show up on the tab and jump over there, worried there was a fire to put out or treating all emails as if they were urgent, but they’re not. Once I realized this was a problem, I decided to chat with one of my team members and we created a new system. Now, she checks the emails I would normally handle myself - she responds to the ones she can, vets all of my brand deal requests, and then texts me if there are any that I need to handle. So, now I only check that main business inbox if it’s required. I also created a separate email for communicating with the team and anything regarding my personal brand, but only check that twice a day - once in the morning and again in the afternoon. This has truly impacted my mental health.
Calendar Blocking. Another way you can set these limits is by blocking time for specific activities. This really goes back to the same concept of me only checking my inbox once in the morning and once in the afternoon. If you set specific times during the day that you perform these screen activities, this can ensure you’re not hoping on throughout the day and getting consumed. Here is how this could look:
🌄 Morning Block:
9am-9:30am - Check Emails
9:30am-10am - Post Instagram Story & Respond to DMs/Comments
☀️ Afternoon Block:
1pm-1:30pm - Post on Instagram & Respond to DMs/Comments
4pm-4:30pm - Check Emails
🌆 Evening Block:
5pm-5:15pm - Scroll on Social Media for Fun
7pm-8pm - Watch current show
Now, this was just a random example. You obviously need to set this schedule based on your needs and wants, but if you give yourself specific times each day for screen-based activities - this will help you stay on track!
Keeping Sane Tip #3: Get a Screenless Hobby
Do you have hobbies outside of a screen? If not, it’s time to find some or if you already listed off a few in your head, it’s time to give them more of your time. Here is the struggle. If you limit your time on screens, but then aren’t replacing that time with something else - you will fall into the trap of getting antsy and naturally grabbing your phone and opening up those common apps that draw you in. So, you need to find another way to spend your time. One of my favorite things to do is simply go on a walk with a friend or even meet a friend at a coffee shop. It doesn’t always have to be something crazy or expensive, just something that pulls you away from a screen. Just for fun, here are a few screenless hobbies you can try if you are drawing a blank.
Thrifting: This is one of my favorites and something I need to make more time for honestly. Obviously, this isn’t for everyone, but something I used to do all the time would be scroll through Pinterest (which yes, is screen time - block some time for this earlier in the week 😜) - find some outfits you would just love to have or even some cool room decor, then hit up some local thrift shops and try to recreate the looks!
Reading: The great thing about reading is that you can really do this anywhere. Grab whatever it is you want to read; book, magazine, article, newspaper - whatever, and go somewhere new. You can go to the park, your favorite coffee shop, or if you prefer staying home - create a nice and quiet reading nook!
Gardening/House Plants: Maybe it’s time to just learn about something new. Maybe you want to get a few house plants and start studying how to care for them or if you have the space, maybe you can do a small garden outside. Once you have houseplants or a garden, you will have a way to spend your time - caring for and tending to your plants.
These are just a few suggestions, but find what works best for you and that will keep you busy AND bring you joy!
Keeping Sane Tip #4: Not Following Trends is Trending
In the world of content creation, we feel the push to follow the trends in our specific niche or industry, so we can make sure our content is always up to date - but you don’t have to be on top of every trend. Here is a little affirmation for you… “My content creator business will not fail if I miss a trend.” Instead of feeling like you have to do trend research every day, I suggest picking one day a week or even biweekly, where you block a specific time to do an hour or so of research for trends. In the spirit of spending less time on screens, I also suggest having a checklist you follow during this time to make sure you're getting the most out of the research time slot. Here is what this checklist could look like
Step One: Check News Sources in your Industry. Since I chat a lot about Social Media, the first place I like to go is Adam Mosseri’s Instagram page, this is because he is the head of Instagram and is constantly providing details on the latest Instagram updates and news. I also check out the Later blog, I have talked a lot about Later in the past - it’s a social media scheduling software, but they also have a great blog that features news, trends, and updates all about social media. They even have a weekly blog that shared trending Reels, so it’s a great resource.
Step Two: Check Out Influencers You Love. Instead of going to the Instagram or YouTube of a content creator in your niche, I suggest checking out folks that AREN’T in your niche, and seeing what style of content they’re creating that seems to be kicking butt! Maybe it’s a trend you can replicate in your own style or topic.
Step Three: Topics That Are Successful in Your Niche. Now that you have gone outside of your niche, it’s now time to go within your niche and see what topics are popping off. For example, I recently posted about how I create my Instagram Reel Covers. If someone in my niche needed some inspiration and saw this Reel was doing well for me, they could do their own version of this - but of course, sharing how they create their Reel Covers and doing their own unique spin with the video style or sound.
If you bust through these three research tactics, it should only take you about 30 minutes to make a list of things that are trending currently, so you can keep your content timely.
Just a bonus reminder is that we are all in this together - every single content creator, big or small, has (and is) struggling to find that balance to keep their sanity. So, if you are just really struggling and need some support - reach out to a fellow content creator and talk about it, I bet they have felt the same way, or maybe still are! If y’all want an episode on how to find and build a content creator network, let us know by sending a DM to our Instagram at either @creatorlymedia or @creatorclubpodcast
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