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share our 29 years of EXPERTISE, ADVICE
and RESOURCES with dancers &
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PROTIP # 7

HEALTHY SOCIAL MEDIA HABITS

As technology continues to evolve, it’s clear social media is here to stay. Like most things in life, there are both pros and cons to having almost anything available at your fingertips.

January’s ProTip will cover healthy social media habits- How can you use social media to enhance your life and what are some easy ways to avoid getting burned?

How much time are you spending on your phone really?

The average smart phone user, spends approximately 3 hours a day on their phone, scrolling a distance of 70-75 feet per day! How do you measure up? If you don’t know, it could be an indication of an unhealthy screen time addiction. Too much screen time can lead to a number of negative effects, especially impacting those under 18 years of age whose brains are still are developing. Side effects may include: obesity, insomnia, decreased attention span, decreased self confidence, headaches and in some cases it can even cause permanent damage to your brain.

Here are some ways to manage your social media time to ensure you don’t fall down the rabbit hole!

• Keep track of how much time you’re spending on your screen. The first step to managing your screen time is knowing how much time you’re spending on your screen daily, weekly and even monthly.

• Set a screen time schedule. Many smart phones and tablets allow you to create a schedule to manage your screen time. Set a timer to kick you off at night, limit your time on a specific app or even set content and privacy restrictions.

• Put your phone on airplane mode while! working on homework or at the dinner table to remind yourself of your limits in case temptation strikes.

• Get creative! Are there other ways to find the information you’re looking for that don’t require wifi?

• Resist the urge to pick up your phone! Do you NEED your phone on you at all times? Try to limit the number of times you unlock your phone each day. Many smart phones will keep track for you making it easy to keep count and set goals.

SOCIAL APPS ARE MORE THAN SOCIAL

The world is at your fingertips when you’re connected to WIFI! While the internet is essential to staying in contact with friends, family and the latest trends, don’t forget about using your phone to gain knowledge and access to important information and updates.

For example, if you’re looking into college dance programs, find the instagram accounts of programs you’ve heard of. From there you’ll be able to find out the caliber of dancers in the program, what kind of choreography students perform, the teaching styles of the instructors, how often students get to perform and more! This is valuable information you won’t be able to find on your standard college tour!

Once you’ve investigated what you know of, use social media to find new opportunities and options. Starting with an account you’re familiar with, click on who they follow or what their account is “liking’. You’re guaranteed to find new accounts that answer your same question (ie. college dance programs) that you may not have heard of before!

Common uses for this practice may be:

• Summer Intensive Programs

• Choreography festivals to showcase your own work

• Professional companies

• Audition opportunities

• Performances/workshops

• College dance programs

• Schools in your area for weekly training

STAY POSITIVE!

Before social medias existed, the ways to get in touch with people or businesses were limited. We’re very lucky to have everyone’s accomplishments not only available but plastered on every app for the world to see.

With this transparency comes great responsibility!

If you are using social media in any form, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Remember a real living human being with feelings is on the other side of everything you see online.

• You are only seeing one small part of someone’s life. Try to hold off on judgements until you can understand the bigger picture.

• You are only seeing what someone WANTS you to see. This is especially important to remember when looking at celebrity selfies or “candid” photos. How long did it really take to capture the perfect angle?

• Give out what you want to receive! Does receiving likes on your posts make you feel good? Spread the love! You are in control with how much positivity you put out on the web!

WHAT SHOULD YOU TRY TO AVOID?

With an endless number of accounts to follow or videos to watch, remember you are in control of what you see. If something or someone is continuously popping into your feed and making you feel any less than positive, self confident or inspired than it may be time to hit unfollow.

Here are some other rules to keep in mind to ensure your feed has a glass half full attitude:

• Only follow accounts that align with your own personal beliefs and morals.

• Block accounts that may be sending you messages or posts that make you feel less than. Don't feel bad for standing up for your own feelings!

• Do follow accounts that spread positive messages and inspirational quotes. Check out @thegoodquote for some good daily inspiration!

Specific to dance-

Don’t fall victim to the “bad habits” we see more often than not on young dancers accounts. Just because someone else is stretching their body past their limitations, doesn’t mean you have to in order to be successful.

Stay true to the training you receive personally from your trusted instructors only. Trained professionals are the only teachers that should influence your methods of stretching, acro techniques, pointe shoe fittings and everything in between. Everyone’s bodies are different and therefore, require different training methods. Instagram does not have the ability to analyze your body and following along with extreme accounts can put your body at risk for serious injuries.

Remember that everyone creates their own path and there are NO wrong turns as long as you stay true to your heart!

Follow Eisenhower Dance Detroit on Instagram and Facebook!

@eisenhowerdancedetroit

Join us next month to learn about
HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR APPRENTICESHIP OR TRAINEE POSITION