Explore Your Feelings with a Selfie Journal
For one week, keep a journal of how you’re feeling and what you’re doing when you want to take a selfie. This will help you evaluate whether you are overusing selfies to “self-medicate” bad moods or anxiety, trying to satisfy the need for social connection, or just avoiding getting your work done. Identifying what’s going on with you emotionally when you “selfie” will help you take steps to change your behavior. Behavior change comes from small steps with small victories, not going cold turkey. Again, if you find that selfies are running your life or are your only source of self-esteem, it’s time for professional help!
Selfie Antidote #1: Mood Control*
If you are using selfies to improve your mood, try these instead.
Exercise every day, even if you’re looking at Facebook on a treadmill. Exercise increases your endorphins and improves your mood. You will need Facebook less.
Spend some time with offline friends. Most social media is used to make social connections. We all want those—that’s normal, not weird. It’s important to have both on and offline friends. Spending time with offline friends (or making new ones) helps you keep that balance. If you have trouble meeting new friends, volunteer for an hour a week somewhere or use online tools like Meet-up to find interesting offline groups. You will not only make new friends, but if you volunteer somewhere, you’ll also feel good by helping others. Honest. It’s a brain chemical thing.
Watch funny cat videos or comedy routines. Share those with others instead of posting a selfie a few times. Laughing and smiling changes your brain chemistry and research shows that happy people attract other happy people. Positive emotions are contagious.
Selfie Antidote #2: Approval of Others*
If you are using selfies to get approval from others, you are giving away your own power. Make an effort to:
Take selfies that highlight what you’re good at rather than what you look like. Use props.
Recognize that you are a package, not a single picture. Take a series of selfies showing all the things you’re good at. Print them out but DON’T post them. Tape them to the wall above your desk, bed or kitchen table and smile as you think of each positive characteristic you have
Imagine what you would tell a good friend or your daughter about letting other people determine how they feel about themselves.
Go up to Antidote #1 and do those things too. Post your successes on Facebook instead of your selfies. If you must, post selfies of you on the treadmill, you volunteering or you laughing. You’ll find that the selfies pale in comparison.
Selfie Antidote #3: Procrastination*
If you are using selfies to procrastinate:
Take one less selfie every day. Celebrate when you succeed.
Take a picture of the work you should be doing and post that instead.
Reward yourself by getting a little something done—set baby step goals and reward yourself for achieving them. Work 30 minutes (or 10), then take a selfie.