In this day and age, social media is pretty impossible to avoid. It even has its own celebration day now – 30th June- a day many of us midsters will find ourselves stressing over the perfect selfie just as much as young people! Social media has its upsides and downsides, and navigating the online world can sometimes feel overwhelming.
Despite the fact that millennial’s are often the ones glued to their smartphone and posting their every move, middle-aged people are increasingly spending more and more time on social media. So how do we make sure we get the best out of social media in midlife and it plays a positive role in our lives?
Join a Community
A growing number of midsters use social media for socialising and sharing their positive life experiences. There are so many different groups but the best thing is to start by identifying what you want from social media. Is it to learn more? Be inspired about something such as style, fitness, or healthy eating? Or perhaps sharing and getting support for your problems.
You can then find these communities through searching, but don’t always go for the biggest groups – focus on the ones where you relate to their values and the quality of conversation.
At Rejuvage, we love having a positive social community. We love sharing our stories with you and seeing our followers share their experiences too. The support network that is established as everyone realises they’re not alone is a positive experience. For many, sharing their personal stories can make them feel better and less lonely and talking to people they wouldn’t necessarily have reached out to in normal life.
Positive Social Role Models
It’s not just for the kids! Having some role models online can influence you in a good way. We love all those women who are online changing perceptions, showing #ageisjustanumber and that we are fit and beautiful at every age. Adding a few inspirational mid-lifers to your feed can help give you new perspectives and higher positive expectations.
See our articles on Instagrammers we love to follow:
https://rejuvage.com/super-fit-40-instagrammers/
https://rejuvage.com/insta-fasion/
But Don’t Compare Yourselves To Others!
Whilst having role models can be great for positive inspiration, it’s important not to let yourself get too bogged down in comparing yourself to others. For many, midlife can be a time where you focus on where your life is going and whether you have achieved your goals. This so-called ‘mid-life crisis’ or slump as we prefer to call it, can be made worse when we scroll through our timelines and see updates from friends and acquaintances living their best life and end up comparing our lives with theirs.
It’s important to remember that people present themselves hyper-positively online – not many of us are posting us washing the sheets after another night of hot flushes! Comparing ourselves to others online can be unrealistic and it affects our feelings of self-worth and our mental wellbeing.
By taking some time away from constant social media watching, and reminding ourselves every time we scroll through our feeds that we are not seeing the full picture, we can learn to be a little kinder to ourselves when it comes to where we are in our own lives.
Stay Connected
Of course, too much time online can cut into real-life relationships, but social media is a great way to stay connected to friends and family. As we grow older, many of us can find their support network spread across the country as friends relocate, or kids leave for university. Whilst social posts can never replace real interaction, by sharing your life and seeing theirs through social too, we give each other a window into each other’s lives which can be crucial in staying connected and sometimes show people a side to you they may not have seen otherwise.
Plus, social media can be a great tool for networking and businesses, giving you reach that you wouldn’t have had otherwise. We have found the network of women supporting women in business has been a great experience!
Have fun!
Social media can sometimes seem like a barrage of negativity. But we see it as a great way to enhance so many aspects of your life. having control over the content you see, you can avoid most of this. Be careful about who you choose to follow and, just as in life, don’t let those who negatively affect you to have any influence – don’t forget that hide button! Keep social media light and fun – from funny memes to adorable puppy videos and even having a bit of fun with those selfies, there are a lot of laughs to be had on social media!
Please follow us on Social Media and help us keep the positive social media vibes going!
