Let’s start with the fact that social media (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) can be immensely beneficial. Not only can you stay in touch with old friends easily, but you can acquire a wealth of knowledge from some of the top experts in the world. Although as with many things, it can quickly become a major problem, affecting not only our performance on the mat but more importantly our Mental Health and well being.
Here are some common scenarios many kids (as well as adults) struggle with:
- You waste hours and hours scrolling endlessly through your social media accounts.
- You obsess over the number of followers, views, likes or friends you have. You keep comparing to your other friends or teammates.
- You get pinned or give up a takedown with a fancy move. You are already embarrassed. Now it appears on Instagram and Tik Tok highlight reels.
- You begin compromising your faith and morals by watching things that you know are not helpful or holy.
- You get jealous over how much fun or how much success everyone else is having based on their social media accounts.
- You find out your friend has a party you weren’t invited to. All your other friends were seemingly invited but not you. The problem is magnified because you see all of your other friends posting pictures on Facebook or Instagram.
- You cannot stop obsessing about an opponent, classmate or ex-boy or girlfriend’s social media pages.
These are just a few scenarios that many struggle with daily. For the most part they aren’t anything new, they are just magnified now and more visible on social media.
What is the Solution?
- Set limits. Grow in the virtue of temperance which moderates the attraction of pleasuresand provides balance in the use of created goods. You do this by practicing saying no to yourself. Set time limits on your phone. Give up a certain food on a certain day of the week (meat on Fridays). Put down your phone on Sunday. Set limits and stick to them!
- Stop caring about what other people think about you. Now this is much easier said than done. It takes time and practice, but you can absolutely train yourself not to care what others think about you. Our whole predator versus prey mindset lesson is geared around this very topic. Read our book “Developing the Predator Mindset” to start overcoming this issue.
- Follow the right people. You are who you hang out with. Or in this day and age, you are who you follow on social media. Stop following or block anyone who is wasting or monopolizing your time. They may not like it but it’s not worth your mental health or time. Make sure you are following people who are helping you (like Wrestling Mindset) or enhancing your life.
BONUS: Work with a Wrestling Mindset coach 1-1 to tackle these problems directly. One of the key focuses of the program is to help our athletes focus on the right things and block out distractions. This program is changing lives for student athletes on and off the mat. Sign up for a Free Trial Session Here!