We’ve all been stressed, a lot. Whether it’s family, children, work, bills, or just the idea of getting through the week, there are so many things that stress us out every day. Social media is a big part of our stress and burnout. But it doesn’t have to be. This week on the chat, we spoke to #TwitterSmarter team member, life-work balance advocate, and holistic life coach, Sabrina Cadini about how we can all be a little less stressed by social media. Here’s a summary of our chat.
Guest: Sabrina Cadini
Topic: Dealing with social media burnout
Format: Eight questions directed at the guest. Everyone’s welcome to share.
Stress is a common physical and mental response when what’s demanded of us exceeds our capacity to deliver.
A1 (1/3): Stress is simply a natural response to a threat; in our modern world it happens when demand exceeds capacity, and our body experiences pressure. #TwitterSmarter
— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
Social media is causing more and more stress to its users because they struggle to cope with new technologies and drastic advancements to existing technologies. This is called technostress.
A1 (2/3): Social media can contribute to this pressure generating mental and physical reactions and effects called technostress, defined as an inability to cope with new technologies in a healthy manner. #TwitterSmarter
— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
As our guest pointed out, our brain doesn’t necessarily differentiate types of stress. Whether it’s an animal chasing us or an angry customer tweeting at us at 11 pm, our brain responds the same way. This is why it’s important to be careful of our social media use and the stressors associated with it.
A1 (2/3): Social media can contribute to this pressure generating mental and physical reactions and effects called technostress, defined as an inability to cope with new technologies in a healthy manner. #TwitterSmarter
— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
Sabrina named the top three: stress, anxiety, and burnout. Though most of us tend to use these tweets interchangeably, there’s a fine line between these triggers.
A2 (1/4): Different types of pressure: stress, anxiety, and burnout. Many people use these terms interchangeably, some of the symptoms may overlap, but they’re quite different and they can all appear in the social media landscape. #TwitterSmarter
— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
Let’s start with stress. This is caused when an external trigger or situation upsets our mental balance. For example, constant notifications—DMs, social media tags, likes, or comments—can cause stress.
A2 (2/4): STRESS, generally caused by an external trigger, and it can be acute or chronic. On social media, constant notifications can create pressure and generate stress. #TwitterSmarter
— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
Anxiety comes from an internal trigger. For example, you might’ve felt anxious if you’ve been comparing yourself with others in your feed. Whether it’s the success of their business or a holiday they’re on, our fear of missing out and the feeling of not being good enough combine to trigger our anxiety.
A2 (3/4): ANXIETY, caused by an internal trigger (persistent feeling of apprehension or worry about something that happened in the past or hasn’t happened yet). On social media, this can translate to comparing yourself to others and jumping to conclusions. #TwitterSmarter
— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
We’ve all probably experienced burnout at some point in life. It’s when you’re exhausted and feel like you have no more energy left to go on. Burnout is a result of long-suppressed stress and fatigue.
A2 (4/4): BURNOUT: emotional, mental, physical exhaustion caused by unrecognized/unmanaged chronic stress. Usually work-related and extending to personal life. On social media, burnout can be a persistent fatigue due to spending too much time online. #TwitterSmarter
— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
It all starts with a little bit of stress. Before you know it, it snowballs into anxiety and addiction, causing burnout.
A3 (1/5): I see this happening in three stages, starting with stress and/or anxiety, followed by addiction, and then burnout: #TwitterSmarter
— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
No matter who you are, chances are you’ve pulled an all-nighter (or almost) poring over something important on social media. You might’ve been working on a product launch and monitoring PR efforts or just analyzing your performance over the last six months. Either way, you’ve lost sleep, missed a meal, or skipped the gym because you were “busy”. When social media disrupts our natural course of life, it triggers stress.
A3 (2/5): Stress triggers
🟨 Checking social media constantly and spending hours online (disrupting daily operations and sleep patterns)
🟨 Cyberbullying (threat), also causing anxiety (fear of being targeted again in the future)#TwitterSmarter— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
Anxiety largely comes from the fear of missing out or FOMO. When you see and realize that everyone in your network is going to an event, but you can’t because you’re in a different continent or have another commitment, anxiety starts to gnaw in your brain. What-if questions swivel in your head and you end up wondering what everyone’s doing and worrying that you weren’t there to see it yourself.
If you’ve ever gotten bad reviews, negative comments on your Twitter thread, or a troll chasing after you for no reason, that may have impacted your mental peace. The next time you went online, you may have worried about it happening again. This is a driver of stress.
A3 (3/5): Anxiety triggers
🟧 FOMO (fear of missing out on important events)
🟧 Comparing yourself to others (not seeing yourself as successful as them)
🟧 Dealing with negative comments (taking them personally even if not directed at you)#TwitterSmarter— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
Addiction is the next stage, as our guest outlined it. The more you’re on social media, the more you’ll prefer to be on social rather than in real life. It starts with something we all consider harmless: scrolling through your feed before bed and soon after waking up. Gradually, the need to be on social media overwhelms us and when we’re not on social media, we start to have withdrawal systems, which affect our mood and behaviors.
A3 (4/5): When you spend more time on social media than in the real world, it becomes addiction, and you may experience withdrawal symptoms (you are unable to detach from your phone and you experience physical and emotional problems) #TwitterSmarter
— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
From there it’s rather an ugly downward slope. Our behaviors affect our work and personal life, and we end up with burnout.
A3 (5/5): Addiction can then lead to burnout which also impacts your ability to function in your life and at work #TwitterSmarter
— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
It’s important to realize that the warning signs of burnout aren’t always obvious. For example, you may have just started a new job and feel stressed all the time. You might think it’s you adjusting to the new role, but the problem may have started long before, in your previous jobs.
A4 (1/4): it can be tricky:
🔷 Signs can be subtle at first, you may not pay attention until too late
🔷 You may have to deal with other triggers in your life (a new job, retirement), dismissing social media as a trigger#TwitterSmarter— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
With that in mind, pay attention to even the slightest changes in yourself, such as emotional and physical energy, concentration, tolerance, need to socialize, and productivity.
A4 (2/4): Become aware of these in your daily life:
🔷 Physical, emotional exhaustion
🔷 Negativity or pessimism
🔷 Irritability
🔷 Distancing from people
🔷 Reduced motivation, productivity
🔷 Difficulty concentrating
🔷 Self-criticism, hopelessness #TwitterSmarter— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
Consider your self-care routine. Are you sleeping well, and enough? Have your eating habits taken a turn for the worse recently? Do you have any persistent physical strain like headaches, indigestion, heartburn, or muscle soreness? All of these could be early indications of a possible burnout.
A4 (3/4) Also:
🔷 Poor sleep, tiredness
🔷 Neglecting yourself
🔷 Physical symptoms like headaches, digestive issues, getting sick often because of a weak immune system, muscle tension and pain. Your body is trying to tell you something #TwitterSmarter— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
If your daily job involves being on social media, keep a close watch on your attitudes and feelings towards your job. If you’re constantly yearning to check your notifications and exhausted by what you see, if you’re struggling to find meaningful content or second-guessing your content choices, then it’s possible that you need a little break to recharge.
A4 (4/4): On social media, burnout can include:
🔷 Addicted to notifications = anxiety
🔷 Decreased creativity = exhaustion
🔷 Nothing to offer to your audience = self-criticism
🔷 More connected to people on social media than on people in real life = isolation#TwitterSmarter— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
The first thing to know and understand is that stress is inevitable. It’s a permanent fixture of our lives and we have to accept that. That said, there are ways to reduce the impact of stress. Sabrina outlined a three-step process to do so.
A5 (1/4): Stress will always be around, it's impossible to avoid it; the best solution is to build resilience with tools and strategies to actively respond to triggers instead of just reacting.
I have a three-step formula that I use with my clients … #TwitterSmarter— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
Step 1: Awareness. Be aware of what’s happening around you and how you’re reacting to it. When you realize that something’s affecting you, stop doing it. This will cut off the stress trigger and give you time to calm down.
A5 (2/4): 1⃣ Become Aware. When you notice that something is happening, stop what you’re doing. This would also be a great time to take a deep breath to prevent your brain from initiating its automatic fight-or-flight response. #TwitterSmarter
— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
Step 2: Pay attention. Look at how stressed you’re feeling and what’s causing that stress. Think about why it’s impacting your mind and body and whether it’s avoidable.
A5 (3/4): 2⃣ Notice. Pay attention to what is happening and why.
🔶 What caused the stressor?
🔶 How is it interfering with what you’re doing?
🔶 How is it impacting your body or mind?
🔶 Is it avoidable? #TwitterSmarter— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
Step 3: Revaluate your response. Be purposeful in reframing how you think about your stressor and how you react to it. Consciously choose to change the way you deal with that stress.
A5 (4/4): 3⃣ Reframe your response. Make a conscious decision by choosing the best solution to address, avoid, or eliminate the stressor. In my coaching practice, I help clients create their own Reframe Toolbox #TwitterSmarter
— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
As Madalyn added, come up with a list of warning signals to watch out for. Everyone reacts to stress differently. Figure out your unique responses to stressful situations so you know what to watch out for and avoid the next time it happens.
A5: Recognize what your unique warning signs are. How do YOU know when you’ve spent too much time on social media? Be aware of the signs so you can do something about it before it’s too late. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/nxninKH1Tc
— Madalyn Sklar Digital Marketing since 1996 (@MadalynSklar) April 28, 2022
First of all, allocate specific time to social media, and separate your personal and professional activities. Then, strengthen your social media management skills by using technology. This could be:
A6 (1/2):
🔷 Schedule social media time (professional/personal) on your calendar
🔷 Use technology/automation to manage time better
🔷 Use Twitter lists to keep up with accounts & conversations that matter
🔷 Mute/block accounts & keywords that may upset you#TwitterSmarter— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
Above all, prioritize your well-being. Do all the things that you know you ought to do, but never do, like eating healthy and away from your computer, moving frequently, establishing a proper sleep schedule, and engaging with friends and family away from social media. Fill your spare time with meaningful hobbies and activities so that you don’t reach out to social media because you’re bored. Most of us spend time on social media because we think we don’t have anything else to do, but the longer we spend on social media, the more stress triggers we come across.
A6 (2/2):
🔷 Prioritize self-care. That’s how your body becomes more resilient allowing you to handle stress better. Eat healthy away from your computer or phone, move, sleep, engage in social connections, dedicate time to a hobby, unplug.#TwitterSmarter— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
A break will certainly help, but it’s not the cure-all. Burnout is a result of prolonged stress and to recover properly, we need to go back and fix the things that cause stress in the first place. Recovery is a process.
A7 (1/4): I wish it were that easy! Burnout is a result of prolonged stress on our body systems, and it can take a long time to recover, it’s much more than taking a break. #TwitterSmarter
— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
Start off by reassessing the time you spend on social media. Consider whether you’re spending time having meaningful conversations and positive experiences or whether you’re being dragged into toxic arguments that drain your energy.
A7 (2/4): First, look at the time and your behavior on social media. Is it to socialize, assist clients, motivate and inspire others, learn something, or do you get involved in heated threads about political issues that drain your energy and make you angry? #TwitterSmarter
— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
Once you’ve realized what type of behaviors are impacting your health, take steps to eliminate them. This could be unfollowing certain topics and people, disabling notifications, or even uninstalling or blocking Twitter from your work computer so that you’re not getting distracted. What you do is specific to your behavior and what works for your friend may not necessarily work for you.
A7 (3/4): Next, remove notifications, reduce your time on social media and at work, and make time for yourself. Engaging in activities that are meaningful and satisfying to you can help you recover sooner. You have to give your body time to repair and recharge. #TwitterSmarter
— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
Most importantly, if you’re struggling to change those behaviors or limit your use of social media, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Talk to your friends and colleagues who’ve gone through the same experience. Or get professional help. It’s ok to not be ok.
A7 (4/4): Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Many people have experienced burnout in the past – I was one of them – and they can help you. As an alternative, you can ask for professional help to identify causes and find strategies that work for you. #TwitterSmarter
— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
Check out the Digital Wellness Institute‘s ebook on how you can effectively use technology without it affecting your health.
A8 (1/3): Digital Wellness Institute @digiwellinstit helping take advantage of the benefits of technology while avoiding associated harms.
Download their Digital Wellness ebook with great insights and excellent strategies https://t.co/lSiALDPN2G #TwitterSmarter— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
Sabrina pointed out that April is Stress Awareness Month. The Stress Management Society has a 30-day challenge to help you do one thing every day to positively impact your wellness.
A8 (2/3): 30-Day Challenge from Stress Management Society @StressMgtSoc – April is #StressAwarenessMonth, perfect timing for this chat and to start selecting one daily activity from their list of tips for your wellbeing.https://t.co/jqNt1VaSI1 #TwitterSmarter
— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
Lifehack also has a 7-day digital detox challenge that offers seven easy ways you can start your recovery process.
A8 (3/3): 7-day digital detox from Lifehack – This article outlines 7 clear steps with simple and effective prompts.https://t.co/S3RLEGRTvI#TwitterSmarter
— Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) April 28, 2022
Well folks, that’s all from me this week. Thanks a lot for reading through and for more great insights from our chat with Sabrina, have a look at this Twitter Moment that Joana put together for us. If you think this summary is pretty good, you’ll love the real-time chat. Join us every Thursday at 1pm ET on #TwitterSmarter. We also hang out on Twitter Spaces at 5pm ET to continue our chat. Catch you there!
About me, Narmadhaa
I write all the things—marketing stuff so I can pay the bills; haiku and short stories so I feel wholesome. A social media enthusiast, I hang out with the #TwitterSmarter chat crew, and am always happy to take on writing gigs.
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