Social Media Manager Mental Health Survey Results 2023

In honour of Mental Health Awareness Month, we conducted a short 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

"Plan the day by tasks and not time slots - if you are feeling unproductive, take a break from what you're looking at and come back to it, or move on to the next task to engage a different part of your brain."

"I'm a big advocate for managing screen time out of work hours - with a job that requires staying up to date with trends, analyzing performance and staring at a screen all day, it's SO important to get outside and do things that don't need a screen out of work hours."

"The Calm meditation app and Yoga with Adriene on YouTube"

"Remember that if there are complaints on social media, that it's not directed at you personally. They're directed at a system or a product or a service that is out of the social media team's control."

"How to Break Up With Your Phone by Catherine Price, reading this book helped me start to balance my personal time and step away from social media and my phone and actually recharge on my days off. "

"I use an Affirmation App Called "I am"

"Do not Disturb mode on my phone automatically starts at 9 pm and ends at 7 am. Only specific family members can reach me. Those that might need to reach me during those hours I clearly communicate that I am unavailable after 9 pm."

"Take your PTO!!!!!"

"I try to communicate better with my manager so they can help with my workload and help me prioritize where needed. For self-care, I try to take walks during my lunch break and/or before & after work to create separation from my home working space. I also take CBD oil to help with stress and anxiety after busy days. Our company also has a free Headspace subscription, which has some great de-stress meditation exercises."

"Listening to birds singing on YouTube while working."

"I try to focus on one client at a time instead of bouncing between subjects. Getting in the headspace for one client at a time makes me work more efficiently and makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something on my to-do list."

"Chat GPT has been a lifesaver when I am feeling burnt out as it allows me to take captioning posts off my plate. I also try to leave early or come in late when I know I've been working longer hours for events, or have been guilty of working through lunch."

"As a business owner - Take a vacation every quarter. This was advice given to me to help prevent burnout and I can tell when I've skipped some time 'off'. Even if it's just a weekend getaway, it's nice to unplug and not have to open the laptop."

"I like listening to Podcasts, and I use the Simple Habit app daily."

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! 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.