Scroll with Intention: Social Media and Mental Health Awareness Month

Find balance between social media use and mental health

Each year, May invites us to pause and reflect on the state of our mental well-being. A deep breath in the middle of the year. An invitation to pause and ask the question we too often push aside: How am I really doing?

It’s a chance to have deeper conversations, break stigma, and check in with ourselves and others.

Whether you’re running a business, building a career, or just trying to stay connected, the scroll can sneak its way into our sense of self. How you engage with social media can significantly impact your emotional resilience, self-worth, and mental clarity.  We’ve all seen how much space social media takes up in people’s lives—not just on their phones, but in their minds.

As Mental Health Awareness Month comes to an end, let’s continue to talk about the quiet impact of social media on our well-being—and how to use it in a way that protects our peace, not drains it.

The Love-Hate Relationship: What Social Media Can Do to Us

Social media can be a connector, a source of inspiration, a tool for good. It can also be a thief—of time, of focus, of confidence.

• It’s where many of us find community, resources, and real talk about mental health.

• But it’s also where comparison creeps in, burnout brews, and perfectionism whispers, “Do more. Be more. Look better while doing it.”

  
  

We’ve all found ourselves lost in the scroll—watching curated lives unfold while ours feels like a backstage scramble. No wonder the soul starts to sway under the weight of comparison.

When Social Media and Career Get Entangled

For entrepreneurs, creatives, and professionals, social media isn’t just personal—it’s professional. It’s visibility. It’s opportunity. It’s branding. And while that can be empowering, it also comes with pressure.

You might recognize these signs:

• Feeling like you have to show up—even when you’re running on empty

• Comparing your timeline to someone else’s and questioning your own path

• Chasing growth at the expense of rest

• Logging off feeling worse, not better

If that sounds familiar, take heart—you’re not alone. And no, you don’t need to burn it all down. Just maybe… approach it differently.

Using Social Media With Your Mental Health in Mind

Here are a few ways to make social media a space that supports you, not swallows you:

1. Edit the Room

Who are you letting speak into your life? Unfollow accounts that trigger comparison or anxiety. Curate your feed like you’d curate your home—intentionally and with care.

2. Protect Your Bookends

Avoid social media first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Let your day start and end with you—not someone else’s to-do list or vacation photos.

3. Post with Purpose

If you use social media for work, try creating before you consume. Share your message, then log off. It’s easy to lose your voice when you start by listening to everyone else’s.

4. Take Guilt-Free Breaks

You’re allowed to pause. The world won’t fall apart if you don’t post today. (And if it does, it probably needed to fall.) Rest is part of the rhythm, not a disruption of it.

5. Check Your Energy, Not Just Your Screen Time

Ask yourself: Do I feel more grounded after I scroll—or more scattered? Let your body and mind tell you when it’s time to step back.

When Is the “Right” Time for Social Media?

There’s no perfect formula, but here are some moments when social media use tends to be healthier:

• After productive work, as a wind-down (not as a distraction from starting)

• During breaks, when you need connection—but keep it short and sweet

• Midday, when your brain needs a refresh, not a rabbit hole

• Never: in bed, during meals, or when your body is asking for something else (like sleep, sunlight, or stillness)

  
  

You Are More Than Your Feed

Mental Health Awareness Month is a good time to remember:

You don’t owe the algorithm your peace.

You don’t have to hustle for worthiness.

You don’t have to look “put together” to be doing meaningful work.

You’re allowed to unplug.

You’re allowed to be fully human, even in digital spaces.

Let social media be a tool—not your mirror, not your measuring stick. Just a tool.

Take inventory. Adjust your habits. And most of all, be kind to yourself. You're doing better than you think.

Wishing you peaceful and intentional mental health. 🫶🏽