Local mental health charity Hull and East Yorkshire Mind is working alongside East Riding of Yorkshire Council to encourage East Riding residents to reduce their social media usage throughout April to improve their mental health and wellbeing.
It is averaged that the time spent on social media every day is increasing, with individuals averaging spending 136 minutes a day. The Pause campaign, which also ran in 2021, is designed to give people the opportunity to improve their mental health by reducing their social media usage.
Instead, individuals are encouraged to use this time to practice self-care, or do things that they enjoy such as meeting a friend, having a conversation with someone they love, grabbing a coffee and having a walk, or spending time with family. Running throughout Stress Awareness Month, the campaign will highlight the importance of connecting with others and yourself in what can often be a faced-paced, stressful and increasingly digital world.
Jack Moore, Marketing and Communications Manager at Hull and East Yorkshire Mind said:
“We are delighted to be working with East Riding of Yorkshire Council on the Pause campaign, to encourage people to reduce their social media usage. Social media is around us all of the time and whilst it can be positive in so many ways, too much social media can impact on our mental health and wellbeing, making it harder to cope with other things going on our lives.
The campaign is designed to suit everyone. It can be as little as reducing your social media usage for just 2 hours a day, and you can choose how long you participate for. You may decide to participate for a week, a fortnight or even the full month! You decide. It’s whatever works best for you and your lifestyle.”
Adam Gibson, Public Health Lead for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention at East Riding of Yorkshire Council said:
“Stress Awareness Month is a great way for everyone to take a make a positive change in their daily routines – we really encourage anyone that finds themselves scrolling through social media on their downtime, especially before they go to sleep, to sign up to our ‘Pause’ initiative and see how it can help. Taking regular breaks and limiting social media use supports positive mental wellbeing and can help to reduce anxiety – many of us subconsciously compare lifestyles and achievements against those of friends or social media influencers which can have negative effects on mental health and lead us to forget what is real life.”
Adam adds: “The idea of ‘Pause’ isn’t just about putting your phone and tablet down, but making quality time for yourself and loved ones and doing something relaxing to clear your head and reconnect with yourself, which will help lift a mood and have a longer-term positive impact – it may even reduce sleep problems.”
An individual who previously took part in the Pause campaign said:
“Though I still enjoy the buzz you can get from posting on social media or seeing what your friends are up to, I’m grateful to have realised that it isn’t everything and there’s a real benefit in taking a break and putting your mental health first.”
To sign up, it’s simple:
- Sign up to Pause at heymind.org.uk/pause
- Choose how long you wish to participate for.
- Commit to reduce your social media usage.
- Improve your mental health and wellbeing.
