Work Ends But Scrolling Continues

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Dear listeners, you know, like you clock out at five, but the notifications keep coming. You close the app, but your brain stays flooded. And what happens when scrolling is not just a habit, but your actual job. So today we are talking about what it really takes to protect your mental health when your career depends on the very platforms that can drain it. Yeah, perfect. So hey David Snows, welcome back to another powerful episode of Healthy Mind, Healthy Life. I'm your host, Avik, and this is the podcast is all about the real strategies that help us stay grounded, think clearly, and take care of ourselves in a world that does not always make that easy. True, right? It's it's a hard truth, yeah. So uh joining me today is uh very lovely guest with us today. Please welcome Madison Watch. So welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_02 1:07

Hello, thank you so much for having me.

SPEAKER_00 1:10

Amazing, amazing. Thank you so much for joining us, Madison, today. And I mean, Dara says, like, before we get into the discussion, I would love to introduce you to Madison. So, Madison who understands both sides of the screen, like the professional demands of managing the social media and also the personal cost of staying connected. Yeah, so a lot of discussion. So I'll not embrace over time. Let's get started.

The Big Myth About Social Media Jobs

SPEAKER_00 1:37

So Madison, like a lot of people think that if you work in social media, you must love being online all the time. So I mean it's it's very I I feel like it's a very silly question, but it's uh I mean, I I thought like let's ask. So, what is the biggest misconception here people uh have about what it is actually like to be a social media manager?

SPEAKER_02 2:02

Sure. I mean, I think the assumption is that social media managers are chronically online, and I think to a certain extent that's true. We have to stay up to date on trends. Social media is happening 24/7, but that also doesn't mean that me and my team are online 24-7. I would say that very early on, that was probably the case. And I quickly burnt myself out and learned the power and importance of setting boundaries, especially when it comes to social media. Cause as you mentioned in the intro, it's I mean, it's something that can just really drain you. It can be really toxic. And if I were actually spending 24-7 on social media, I I really don't think I would be in a good mental space.

SPEAKER_00 3:04

Exactly. When did you first notice that distinction that you were doing the work for uh I mean you were doing for work was starting to feel different from how you related to these platforms?

SPEAKER_02 3:18

Oh, absolutely. I mean, I think that a lot of the time when you're using social for personal use, you already have an audience. It's the friends and family and people that you meet in real life. And so you have those followers and you know exactly what they want to see and why they're following you. They just want your personal life updates. They want to see what you're up to. It's their way of staying in touch. When it comes to brands, we are doing a lot more work to figure out who is our target audience, who is following our brand and why. And we also are trying to figure out what kind of content do they want to see. Do they want reviews? Do they want product information, or are they looking for more of the funny videos of our product and use and stuff like that? And so I think that's a big distinction. And that's why the way I engage on social media for my business is very different from the way I engage with it personally. And I think that's also why it can lead to a lot more burnout for social media managers, especially when you're managing accounts for many different brands. And a lot of time online. And it's a lot of trying to figure out what people want from you, which is never really healthy, right? Like you should you should live for yourself and do what you want to do in life. But definitely marketing a brand, it's like that whole thing is flipped around and you're trying to figure out what do people want to see and how do I make sure they are engaging with this content.

SPEAKER_00 5:01

No, I agree. I totally agree. So so obviously the shift is so important because I think a lot of us assume that if something is a part of your job, it should feel easier or more natural. But the truth is, I mean, proximity does not um always uh uh kind of equal comfort. So yeah, yeah. Exactly.

Why Boundaries Decide Career Sustainability

SPEAKER_00 5:22

And you mentioned about balancing your work responsibilities with protecting your own mental health or mental space. So what do you think is the uh root of why that balance feels so different, especially in the role like yours?

SPEAKER_02 5:39

I mean, I think that balance is just so important because with social media being my full-time job as well, if I burn out on it too quickly and I do too much and I don't want to be like not being on social media is unfortunately not an option available to me unless I want to switch career paths. You know, so it's like if I if you got burnt out on social media, maybe you could take a break from advertising the podcast on there or doing some like choosing some different avenues. If I get burnt out on social media, I lose over half of my clients and I'm not posting for them and I I can't do my job anymore. So finding that balance is really important to make sure that I'm not overdoing it and losing interest, and it's the balance is really there for like sustainability and making sure that we keep up what we're supposed to keep up and you know things are working the way that it's intent to, I guess.

How Platforms Engineer Addiction

SPEAKER_00 6:59

So but do you think the platforms themselves are designed in a way that makes it harder to step back even when you know that you need to?

SPEAKER_02 7:09

Oh, I mean, absolutely. The platforms, the engineers and people creating the platforms are literally creating them so that they're addictive. It's the like the way you scroll on TikTok, it really literally comes down to a science, the way you get notifications and you can see who likes your content and the little high of posting an Instagram story and seeing who likes it and who engages with it. These are all things that there are literal scientists and engineers behind the apps designing to make it as addictive as possible, and they want you to spend as much, they want to capture as much of your time as they can and keep you within that platform.

SPEAKER_00 7:56

I agree, I totally agree. And obviously, it sounds like uh the very tools that help you do your job well, also the ones that I mean can quietly erode your sense of control. So exactly.

Phone Dependence In Everyday Life

SPEAKER_00 8:12

And so suppose for someone, for someone who might not be a social media manager, but still feels like they cannot get off their phone. So where do you see this showing up in the everyday life?

SPEAKER_02 8:27

I mean, I have a lot of friends that aren't social media managers, but they are still addicted to their phones. My fiance actually is an example. He he actually lost his phone recently, or it it basically just it broke and he didn't have it backed up. So he lost all of his apps, all of his data, everything. And when he got a new phone, he didn't have any apps downloaded. And so he's still he's still doing really well now, but he tried to see how long he could go without downloading any new apps because he knew if he were to download Instagram and TikTok, he's just gonna get right back to scrolling and he's gonna be right back in those social media apps, just kind of stuck stuck in that cycle. And so that's just one example of I mean, dozens in my personal life, and I'm sure you have dozens more stories of people where it's just, I mean, phones are addicting and it's actually becoming a problem. I think that there's a new Toy Story movie that just came out, actually. And I'm seeing clips of how the story behind it is that kids aren't playing with toys anymore, they're playing with their iPads, you know. So it's there's a technology problem. There's a technology addiction, it's a whole thing in in our society, and I think just being aware of it and figuring is like the first step in figuring out how we can kind of calm at it. And I just think that the world is really lacking connection, and it's because everybody kind of hides behind a screen now.

Reset Rituals And Screen Time Guardrails

SPEAKER_00 10:15

Yeah, and when you notice those signs in yourself, what is usually the first thing that helps you reset?

SPEAKER_01 10:24

Oh that's a good question.

SPEAKER_02 10:29

I think when I'm starting to get burnt out and noticing it, you you literally have to put the phone down and go outside and have to go. It's like a joke, but people are like, go touch grass. No, you actually have to go outside. You should touch grass, you need to get off your phone. Because I mean, I've fallen victim to it before too, where it's like, oh no, I'm scrolling on TikTok too long. So I'll close the app and then I'll open up Instagram. And now I'm scrolling there. So it's like we didn't really solve the problem. I'm still online and wasting time doing this. I actually put guardrails in place for myself so that I don't spend all of my day and all of my time on these apps. I know with iPhones, I have I have an iPhone and I set app limits. So I get one hour per day combined on Instagram and TikTok total to scroll social media and my phone will tell me, like, hey, you have five more minutes left for today. And when I reach that limit, I close the apps down and I don't, they're locked for the rest of the day. The only reason I ever unlock those or ignore my limits is if I open, I get a notification and I need to post for a client or I'm doing some work in the apps. But otherwise, I've just found that limiting my app time has been really helpful and it's crazy. I feel like I still, I mean, I'm still hitting an hour every day, which is not great, but I can only imagine what my numbers were before I set those limits.

SPEAKER_01 12:12

Yeah.

Notifications Off For Real Breathing Room

SPEAKER_00 12:13

And uh, what is the one practical thing that uh you have done either for yourself or um that you recommend to others that actually help create that breathing room between work and the personal use?

SPEAKER_02 12:29

Uh, turn your notifications off. I don't need to have them on for work because we have so many other platforms that when I'm working and I sit down at my computer and I figure out what I need to do, I can check notifications that way. But you don't need to have your notifications on and get some get a message every single time somebody likes your post or leaves a comment or you get a new follower. I think people are online enough. And I guarantee at least once within 24 hours, you will log in and you will see all of those notifications and it'll be great and you'll catch up then. But you don't need a message every 30 seconds or throughout the day getting getting all of those notifications. That's something I've been doing for years now, and it really helps to just focus my time instead of, and I mean, outside of social media, I turn my notifications off for all apps because I so many, and like even the shopping ones will get you. Like what? I think it's prime day right now. There's just so many apps, so many businesses want your attention constantly. Yeah, and your time is really valuable, and so is your mental space. And so only giving that attention and time and space to the things that really matter, and not being constantly pulled in different directions with all the different notifications you're getting on your phone.

SPEAKER_01 14:04

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 14:05

Exactly true.

Slip Ups Without Shame

SPEAKER_00 14:08

And one more thing is so uh, I mean, let's say someone tries to set boundaries. Maybe they uh they turn off notifications or set the time limits, and then this slip they find themselves back in that scroll. So, how do you handle those moments without feeling like you failed?

SPEAKER_02 14:30

Absolutely. I mean, I think it's just giving yourself some grace. Everybody's been there. I mean, I do that all the time, especially if it's the weekend and I'm not doing anything, I'll hit my screen time limit in the first like two hours I'm awake because I just sit there and I scroll. But like we're all human, right? We're all figuring out what works. Some days, maybe you just need some extra time on your phone. You're having a down day, and if that's what's gonna make you feel a little bit better, you know, you just you you take it. But I think it's more about the long-term habits that you're building and not getting all those notifications all day long and not being on your phone for five hours a day and scrolling TikTok for forever. It's just it's it's working on building those long-term habits instead of and and things happen. Like, like you said, there's days that things go well, there are days that things go bad, there will be days I don't even open the app at all, which are amazing. But I think just giving yourself a little bit of grace, as with anything in life, right? You maybe have too much to drink one weekend, or you overindulge and you have you eat three slices of cake instead.

SPEAKER_01 15:52

You know, it's just it happens, but it doesn't have to be the end of the world. Yeah.

Choose Real Life Connection

SPEAKER_00 16:01

And if you have to give one advice to the listeners today, what that could be one advice too.

SPEAKER_01 16:09

Yeah, to the listeners today. Yeah. Oh, just enjoy Yeah, yeah. Ooh.

SPEAKER_02 16:26

I think finding connection online is powerful and important, but I think it's honestly more important to find connection in real life. I've been lucky, I've met some people online that have turned into real life friends. And I mean, I feel like that's a crazy thing to say coming from a social media manager, saying, like, go hang out with people of real life. Um, but it really is, it really is so important. I mean, even just think about like times in COVID when everybody was in a lockdown and how much people things got weird.

SPEAKER_01 17:06

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 17:08

Um, and people like needed the human connection, they needed to be with each other. And so, yeah, like find ways to limit your time, find ways to set boundaries, and don't let it take over your life and remember that there is still life to be lived.

SPEAKER_00 17:24

Exactly. Exactly,

Where To Find Madison And Final Takeaways

SPEAKER_00 17:26

fool. So uh I mean, if listeners want to connect with you, how can they connect?

SPEAKER_02 17:32

You can find us online, mdznstudio.com. We have a contact page on there, also on LinkedIn, both personally as Madison Witcher, and also our company page, MDZN Studio, and then same on Instagram, personal and business. So you can find us through any of those.

SPEAKER_00 17:54

Amazing, amazing. So, dear listeners, what I'll do is I'll put all the links to taste everything into the show notes for your easy reference. And with this, I have to say, Madison, it is really, really great connecting with you, knowing your perspective on the social media part because I mean how it is connected with our mental health, it actually reflects. So it is very, very important. Thank you so much for sharing that. And uh everyone who is listening. I mean, thank you for being here today. And if you're listening right now, maybe it'll be listening later. Just remember that protecting your attention is not just about doing less, it is all about uh I'd say choosing better. So take what resonates, leave what does not, and uh know that your mental health is worth the boundary, right? So with this hope, this is your host every game, this is how the man health life. I'll see you in the next one. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_02 18:58

Thank you.