How-To Protect Your Mental Health Online

How-To Protect Your Mental Health Online

The more you grow online, the more people are seeing your content. Inevitably, this includes people that don’t like your content, disagree with you, or decide that they just don’t like you. All of these thing are okay. I’m going to share with you a few tips to help you make that growth a little easier on your mental health.

Understand that not everyone is going to like, or agree with you, and that’s okay.

Some people just decide that they don’t like the way you deliver your content: maybe they make a comment about your voice, or your appearance. It’s helpful to remember that even some children these days are given unrestricted access to the internet. Maybe you just don’t know what someone’s going through when they leave a nasty comment in your inbox, or under your post. Block, or delete the comment, if you’re just tired of seeing it. Don’t get caught up with people who try to turn it into a drama for you doing this. If you are legally able to use the internet, then you are also within your rights to restrict access to people who go on to your page.
 

Have someone else monitor comments for you.

Sometimes, going through comments on a video is just too draining for you, and that’s understandable. If you can’t hire a Virtual Assistant, or Social Media Manager, ask a trusted friend, or family member, to delete comments, or block people for you. Whichever you decide is necessary. Sometimes, nasty spam comments can get really frustrating and vile. Maybe they’re threatening you, too. If they are threatening you, be sure to take a screenshot of the comment and the profile. Save that image in a Folder on your Desktop, or on a hard drive. Somewhere safe. That way, if that person continues harassing you and making threats, you can take it to law enforcement, or an attorney.
 

Try to deliberately not look at nasty comments.

Sometimes, your videos grow so rapidly, or so much, that you’re safer simply not going to the comments section. That’s completely fine for people that are big online, and celebrities do it, too. If there’s a plethora of horrible spam comments, don’t sit and read through them. Even just as a joke, you don’t want that comment lingering in your mind in the future. Just skip over it and move on to more positive, or constructively critical comments.
 

Work with a trusted person to figure out if there was an issue with what you posted.

Sometimes, what people perceive as “hate comments,” are actually valid criticisms of their behavior. It may take someone you trust looking at the piece of content and sharing with you if you actually made a mistake. It’s natural for us to mess up, we will never be perfect, and we aren’t supposed to be. With that, you might post things online that you really shouldn’t. Maybe you responded to someone you should’ve just left alone. Maybe you said something incredibly offensive that was made in ignorance.
All of these things are part of growing and becoming a better person. Pay attention to constructive criticism where it’s necessary, and make changes to not make the mistake again. If necessary, post another video apologizing sincerely for your mistake. Talk about why you know now what you said, or did, was wrong. Don’t deflect blame. Then share what you’ll do to not make that mistake in the future. It’s really that simple.
If there wasn't in issue, that's okay! Having the validation of a second opinion from someone you trust is very helpful in dealing with imposter syndrome and feelings of overwhelm online.
 

Implement healthy coping strategies to deal with the attention you’re receiving.

Any sudden, or large amount of attention, whether good or bad, can feel overwhelming. You can practice several coping strategies to deal with things happening online:
a. Mindfulness Meditation: put your phone down, and take some time to be mindful of your physical and emotional sensations. Acknowledge each for yourself. You can say them out-loud, or in your head. It might sound like, “My heart is racing, my breathing is fast, my hands feel clammy, and my thoughts keep racing.”
b. Take deep breaths and focus on these sensations for about 30 seconds each. Take mental note if the sensations start to change. It might sound like, “My heart rate sped up, but now it’s slowing down. My breathing is getting steadier. I still feel anxious, but it’s starting to get easier.” Whatever symptoms, or feelings apply to you.
c. Piece together what might have triggered those sensations. If you can’t think of anything, that’s okay. Sometimes you just don’t know in the moment. Think to yourself how when you felt those feelings, you were able to calm down after acknowledging each of them.
 

If all else fails, hire a therapist

There's not a thing wrong with going to therapy, no matter what people may say. A therapist can provide you more personalized information. Combine that with healthy coping mechanisms you use at home, and you’ll be set. There’s a common misconception that therapists only help problems you have, not problems people give to you.

They will help you address different emotions that come up when certain problems arrive. They will also work with you to find out which coping mechanisms will help you, and which won’t. Therapists are like having an emotional assistant who provide solutions, then work with you to figure out which route will be best. They can be especially helpful when you are dealing with overwhelm and burnout.

The therapist should provide a safe and healthy environment for you to get to the root of your overwhelm and help brainstorm to figure out how to deescalate feelings of burnout. These ideas will be specific to you, your abilities, and needs.

 

About the Author:

Eliza Rose has been professionally working on social media for over 10 years. Her niches have spanned across beauty, fashion, lifestyle, music, and business. She now dedicates her time to teaching what she's learned through the process, to help other people turn their business and personal goals into a reality.

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