Even pre-pandemic, we were living in a time when the computer, TV and social media ate up most of our day. Now, with virtual schooling, meets, and even hang-out time with friends, it feels like we’re constantly online. While all these platforms can be a lot of fun, it can be hard to tell if you’re burned-out before it’s too late. Aside from limiting your time, uninstalling apps, or unfollowing accounts that make you feel negative, what else can you do to help curb burnout? These are our favorites:

1. This is obvious for a library, read a book! Join a book club or ask friends for a recommendation. Heat up a cup of coffee, snuggle up and get reading.
2. Can’t commit to a full digital detox and/or reading a book? Listen to an audiobook with Libby, the library’s easy-to-use digital app.
3. Similarly, find a podcast you like.
4. Make a self-care bingo card and start crossing items off your list. Some ideas to include: talk on the phone instead of text, start a new hobby, clean your room, or complete a workout session.
5. Go for a walk! Don’t like silence or even just the sound of nature? Listen to that audiobook or podcast you’ve discovered.
6. Write a letter and mail it to someone you love.
7. “Marie Kondo” your wardrobe. It doesn’t sound like fun, but getting rid of clothing you “might want to wear sometime” but know deep down you won’t can be very cathartic.
8. Volunteer your time. If you know how to sew, many organizations like the Friends of Pine Ridge Reservation need masks. If you don’t know how to sew, the organization My Very Own Blanket accepts fleece no-sew blankets, all of which go to children in your local foster care system.
9. Bake something! Baking can be very calming and then you get to eat a treat afterward.
10. Meditate and get to know yourself. You are awesome and unique. The more you believe that, the more confident you will grow to be, and the easier it will be to detach from social media accounts that you may find triggering in the future.

Treat Yo' Self