Have you ever thought about how much time you spend on social media? How many times you check your Snapchat, Facebook or Instagram every day? Because I know for me it’s a lot! Hell, I have chronic pain in my hands from too much phone use and texting (that’s a story for another time).

I’ve begun to realise that I am constantly turning to my phone for self-gratification and self-assurance. I hate myself for admitting this but sometimes when I feel down I find myself scrolling through old photos and uploading a #throwback post onto Insta and then relying on ‘likes’ to make me feel better. If this isn’t successful, I soon take the post down and soak in my misery.

How ridiculous is that? How is it that a bunch of randoms and acquaintances (most of which I’ve never met) are in charge of my worth and happiness? I’m not saying social media is bad, I’m a radio announcer so it’s my job and it is a business necessity of the future… But, I’ve begun to observe these habits of turning to my phone and social media when I’m feeling down which is not going to make me any happier.

So, next time you feel insecure, sad, worthless or in self-doubt, instead, I want you to do one/or a combination of these things:

Write down your goals.

Nothing makes me feel better than a little bit of self-evaluation. Where am I at? Where do I want to be? What is going to make me happy? When you strip back all the social media crap you realise that, regardless of how many followers you have,  ‘likes’ aren’t going to heal the way you’re feeling within.

Write down a list of how you want people to describe you.

For example, some of the qualities I would list are fun, kind, passionate, motivated and disciplined. This is who I think I am and want people to see me as. but sometimes I make decisions which stray away from this. Reminding yourself of what qualities are important to you is a good tactic to keep you keep on track.

Spend time with your family.

My family are the most important, raw thing in my life who I can be completely vulnerable with. There’s no one I love more in this world than my family, so spending time with them brings out the best qualities in myself and reminds me of who I want to be.

Do something kind for someone.

They say giving is more beneficial for the person who gives than the person who receives. It doesn’t have to involve anything expensive or money at all for that matter. But taking your time to cook for a friend, give someone a lift, or just tell someone how much they mean to you generally makes you feel better about yourself too.

STOP and CLOSE your eyes.

In this day and age, we are so damn busy and always on-the-go that often we forget to STOP. How often do we lie down, close our eyes, shut ourselves off from social media and think about the world? Clarity is a wonderful thing, give yourself a moment to see it. Take that time to let yourself breathe.

Listen to music that takes you back to a time when you did love yourself.

Almost every big song in the last 20 years takes me back to a different moment. Some remind me of my first love, while others remind me of being that innocent little girl who believed she could achieve anything. The best thing about music is that it reminds us of how fast time passes. When you hear a song that takes you back to your 14th birthday party you feel all those emotions and memories all over again.

That awareness of time reminds you that whatever you’re going through now is most likely something that you won’t even care about in the future. Because let’s be honest, do you care about what you were worried about then?