While creating content can be a path towards more creativity in your daily life, the process can also leave you with more digital stress than digital peace. The risks of this stress are highest in the period after publishing content. While you may feel drawn to check for feedback on your post immediately, it can be healthier for you to pause and take time for off-screen activities that support your well-being. 

If this pause feels uncomfortable for you, try gradually setting a timer before checking your posts to find comfort and well-being. The time away from reviewing feedback can be as brief as 15 minutes or as long as a few days. The important thing about the pause is to use the time to reconnect with your life outside of social media. 

Grounding strategies

Use grounding strategies to move through the time away from your device. For example:

  • Slow your breath: Take a few slow, controlled breaths.
  • Grounding through senses: Notice something you can touch, taste, smell, hear, or see right now to stay present.
  • Rhythmic movement: Sway, stretch, or shake out your arms and legs for a few minutes.
  • Compassion reframe: Remind yourself, “Whatever this feedback looks like, I can handle it with grace and patience.”
  • Connect with others: Spend a few minutes with a person you trust, doing something unrelated to the post.

Reflect on your experience

After you’ve practiced your pause, spend a few moments reflecting on your experience in your journal or on your device:

  • Which strategy did you use and why? 
  • What did you do with the time away from your device? 
  • In what ways did pausing before checking for feedback change your experience of viewing the post compared to checking right away?

Explore all of the Create content about digital peace activities:

References 

  1. Midgley, C., Thai, S., Lockwood, P., Kovacheff, C., & Page-Gould, E. (2021). When every day is a high school reunion: Social media comparisons and self-esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 121(2), 285–307. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000336 
  2. Cully, J.A., Dawson, D.B., Hamer, J., & Tharp, A.L. 2020. A Provider’s Guide to Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Department of Veterans Affairs South Central MIRECC, Houston, TX.  
  3. https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/media-and-children/center-of-excellence-on-social-media-and-youth-mental-health/qa-portal/qa-portal-library/qa-portal-library-questions/social-media-and-creativity/?srsltid=AfmBOor-BaoDIn3rvMCpFmxCO5AWb2y0osgYCAUR78GSsJDb0Ss1c4Yi  
  4. Steele, R.G., Hall, J.A. & Christofferson, J.L. Conceptualizing Digital Stress in Adolescents and Young Adults: Toward the Development of an Empirically Based Model. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 23, 15–26 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-019-00300-5
  5. Hall, J. A., Steele, R. G., Christofferson, J. L., & Mihailova, T. (2021). Development and initial evaluation of a multidimensional digital stress scale. Psychological Assessment, 33(3), 230–242. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000979 
  6. Hollenstein, T., & Faulkner, K. (2024). Adolescent digital emotion regulation. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 34, 1341–1351. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.13009
  7. Sharma, M. K., John, N., & Sahu, M. (2020). Influence of social media on mental health: a systematic review. Current opinion in psychiatry, 33(5), 467–475. https://doi.org/10.1097/YCO.0000000000000631

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