Social Media Manager Mental Health Survey Results

In honour of Mental Health Awareness Month, we conducted a short 7-question survey around mental health in the social media industry.

This survey was for anyone who works in the social media industry and has experienced burnout. We hope to shine a light on this topic since the social media industry is often overlooked and underappreciated.

Our community not only helped us shine a light on this topic but also provided their personal pro tips when it comes to navigating mental health.

Check it out!

What our community does to deal with their burnout and mental health

"Take breaks throughout the day and make it a point to unplug on the weekends!"

"I schedule at the end of my workday 30min of meditation to essentially turn off work mode and shift into my personal life."

"Slack notifications paused during nonwork hours. Recently discovered a mental health app called Finch which I highly recommend!"

"I have a headspace subscription and try to give myself breaks whenever I feel like I need one. After all, I'm working to live, not living to work. I also make sure to close out all my work tabs on my computer when I'm done with the workday. If possible, I keep a work-only computer and don't do any work on my personal computer."

"BOUNDARIES! Everyone needs a work/life balance and in order to have that you have to set boundaries with your team, your clients and even with family,"

"Having contracts that spell out hours of operation and enforcing it, saying “hard no” to unreasonable expectations immediately, charging additional fees for additional work requests, refusing to respond to manager emails/requests for 24-hours so they learn to respect boundaries."

"Insight Timer meditation app"

"I tell my manager if I am having a difficult day and we have a chat about it (if there is something big/ upsetting in the news). I try and limit my time on social outside of work."

"We have a weekly 'All Tea No Shade' session - half an hour where the team gets together to debrief about any difficult moments they've had on social that week. We all bring a tea, sit in a private meeting room, and support each other to get over the comments we've received that week."

"When I find myself spinning and being unproductive I go outside."

"I get my nails done every two weeks as a me-time to relax and not be on my phone at all. I also just find events in the community that would keep me busy so I don't feel pressured to look at it ALL the time."

"Scheduling, scheduling, scheduling! Scheduling time in my day to relax with a yoga class or massage session is necessary for me to stay sane. Scheduling all notifications to be silenced from 10 pm-6 am. Plus, scheduling my posts in advance takes a lot of stress off!"

"I try to read for 30 minutes every day to give me 30 minutes without looking at my phone. I use apps like Trello and HeyOrca to help me stay organized and make my job semi-automatic outside of work hours."

"USE *clap* YOUR *clap* VACATION *clap* DAYS"

The social media community is an incredibly supportive group to be a part of! You're not alone. Social media is a very demanding career and it's important to take that time for yourself and recharge.

If you're looking to join a supportive social media community, check out our Facebook Group Life in Social! We chat about all things social, advice, and more!

If you have any tips you'd like to have featured in this blog, feel free to send them over to alyssa@heyorca.com! And to learn more about burnout and how to deal with it, click here.