When marketing, primarily digital marketing, is your job, it can be hard to unplug. As an always-on industry, digital marketers must stay on top of trends, hashtags, viral content, customer service responses, social listening, and even the news. But, with 24/7 emails and updates in the palm of your hand, digital marketers often face increased mental strain. When digital marketing is your job, it can be hard to unplug. Use GROWL’s top three mental health tips to help you stay sane.
1 Pull the Plug
It sounds simple, but it could just be the hardest thing you do. As with tech advancements, updates rarely sleep, and as a digital marketer, neither does the industry. In recent years, social media usage has continually increased (by about 40% year-over-year), making it even more difficult to unplug. But, finding headspace and decompressing is critical for mental health. While on and off the job, try focusing on a digital detox. Start by setting daily time limits per platform or blocking out a few hours that are free of technology. Today, most social accounts make it easy to manage your time by providing options to set daily reminders when you’ve reached a self-imposed time limit. Use these tools to help, but remember that their success depends on your buy-in. Remember, stick with this even when something important is happening.
2 Unplug & Unfollow Negative Accounts
If there are accounts on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook that always make you want to throw your phone in a lake, it might be time to cut ties with them. On Twitter, you can mute keywords or hashtags you don’t want to see. By making this small change, you’ll go a long way to making your social accounts happier and less stressful.
Instagram has also recently launched Instagram Guides, where content can be shared with comments (think about step-by-step guides and tips). Bonus: They’re focusing on promoting wellness content from experts to help users cope with stress and mental health needs.
3 Digital Marketing is Imperfection
Digital marketing is never truly predictable or perfect. From rapidly changing environments to nonreceptive tests, allowing yourself to make mistakes is critical. Most of the time, our internal standards are much higher than those put on us by others. By taking a deep breath and recognizing that your career and life are a learning process, you can correct mistakes while looking forward to growth.
As you navigate through the always-on marketing industry, remember to unplug. Your mental health depends on it. Looking for more mental health tips? Contact the GROWL team today.