Social media is one of the most fun places to spend your spare time. There are unlimited videos, pictures and other content to keep you engaged if you are feeling bored.

However, the danger here is, some people get addicted to social media without being aware, and it begins to affect different aspects of their lives.

With these signs below, you will be able to check yourself if you are struggling with social addiction.

• You check social media first thing in the morning

One of the ways to know if you are addicted to social media is when you check any of the platforms when you wake up in the morning before doing other things.

It suggests that your mind is fixated on some of the activities you must have missed at night, and checking social media when you wake up could help you catch up.

• You are anxious when you don’t access social media

Another sign of social media addiction is when you cannot access it. You might feel desperate to always check your social media platforms to know what is going on there. If you’re away from social media and you’re anxious, you might be dealing with a social media addiction.

• You get sad or overthink when your posts don’t go viral

Social media addiction can be detected when you keep overthinking because your posts don’t get the engagement you were expecting. If you experience this regularly, you may need to figure out a way to reduce your expectations from social media because you might end up being disappointed.

• You compare your progress to other people on social media

Many people often think that the happy pictures and videos on social media translates to having a wonderful life.

This is why they may keep tabs on people they are looking up to, without realizing that those individuals also have their challenges. If you keep comparing yourself to other people, you might be addicted to social media.

Social media addiction refers to the excessive use of social media platforms to the point where the individual gets negatively affected. They might begin to experience a decline in their quality of life when it comes to work, career, family, etc.  

Here are some scientifically-proven ways to handle social media addiction:

Create time limits

If you want to put social media addiction at bay, one of the best ways is to set time limits. You can begin by allotting a specific amount of time to social media use.

When you exceed your time limit for the day, you can quit social media and resume the next day. Doing this will allow you to spend more time doing productive work.

Spot your triggers

It is important to mention that there are some things that can trigger your social media addiction. For instance, it could be procrastination, boredom, etc. When you identify your triggers, it may become easier to prepare your mind ahead when they show up.

Hence, if you are about to procrastinate an activity, you can consider handling the task immediately so that you can avoid social media use.

Avoid comparison

You can also control or manage social media addiction if you stop comparing yourself with other people online.

Many people tend to think that the good-looking videos and photos translate to having a good life. This is why some of them sink into depression or anxiety because they keep tabs on other people online. If you ever get to compare, it should only be with the past version of yourself.

Take breaks from social media

If social media addiction is beginning to take its toll on you, consider taking a break from it. When you go on a social media break, you can leverage the opportunity to rebuild relationships, focus more on your career, etc.

Be accountable to someone

You can consider talking to someone about social media addiction and tell them about your struggles so that they can keep tabs on you. This can be a good opportunity to leverage on to get other aspects of your life in order.