Oh, social media—the time-wasting whirlpool where you pop in for “just five minutes” and find yourself in a whole different decade, unable to figure out the year or the reason you’re seeing a raccoon steal someone’s pizza.

But what if, instead of letting social media consume our attention span and vomit it back out like an old gum, we actually used it with some level of awareness?

Crazy, I know.

This is how you free yourself from being a Wi-Fi zombie and engage with social media like a healthy, working human being.

Follow accounts that don’t make you hate your life

You know when you scroll through your feed and immediately hate your life?

Yeah, that’s a sign that you need to clean up your follows.

If an account leaves you feeling like a snack-eating failure, maybe—just maybe—it’s time to unfollow.

I myself do motivational accounts, and voilà, it actually works.

Instead of doom-scrolling, I get content that inspires me. Who knew being subjected to stuff that makes you feel good as opposed to drawing you into the black hole of despair is a good thing. Who would have thought?

Setting time limits: the secret to social media control

Saying you’re going to “just check one thing” is like asking a dog not to eat the pizza you left out.

The scroll is designed to draw you in, so trying to fight it is about as effective as using a spaghetti noodle as a sword. That’s why I put time limits on all my social media and yes, it actually works.

I know, I’m surprised too.

Commit with actual intention, not clean muscle memory

Ever opened an app, stared at the screen, and completely forgotten why you’re there? Congratulations, your brain is in autopilot. The thing is, we don’t even think before we click. Our fingers just do it, some form of social media possession.

Before you reflexively open Instagram for the 37th time today, pause and ask yourself: “Why am I here?”

If the answer is “Because my finger moved by itself,” maybe go do literally anything else – go and have an existential crisis in the shower. Warm shower.

Do anything that reminds you that you have control over your own actions.

Accept that you will never catch up on all of it

The algorithm is an all-knowing monster. There is no “catching up.” There will always be more posts, more mildly funny animal videos doing weird things.

And you know what?

That’s okay.

You don’t have to swallow every bite of the internet like a drowning, screen-absorbing sponge. Log off before your head explodes from trying to keep it all straight. It’s not the end of the world if you can’t do a trendy TikTok dance, I promise.

Mindful social media use

Unless you’re an ER doctor, no notification is that urgent.

Your post got three likes?

Cool.

Your friend sent a meme?

Amazing.

It will still be there in an hour. We utilize our phones as small slot machines, constantly searching for that next burst of dopamine. The thing is, though—each time you glance at your phone simply because you can, you’re instructing your brain to always be distracted.

Try putting your phone in another room for a while and challenge yourself to resist the urge before the usual symptoms kick in.

Spoiler alert: it will be awkward.

Pause before you scroll

Social media isn’t bad—it’s just incredibly good at making us forget we have lives outside social media.

Use it on purpose, not habit.

Watch accounts that don’t make you want to toss your phone into a lake. Establish boundaries.

Because if you’re already thinking about checking Instagram right now, that’s probably an indication that you should go a do literally anything else.

Touch some grass.

Or your own potential.