For those of us old enough to remember, learning the latest news and information-whether worldly or local, meant that we had to wait until the daily newspaper arrived, and/or until our local news aired. Events that we hear about now thanks to a constant stream on social media platforms, were somewhat delayed in the past. It doesn’t mean these things didn’t happen, it just meant that we were not so consistently saturated in them all day long.
Social media is a very powerful tool when it comes to increasing connections to friends and family, as well as access to important information and support that one may need from all over the world.
However, it can have a dark side. Social media with its lightening fast accessibility can have a huge impact on the healthfulness of one’s mental health and well being.
Some of the negative affects include:
-Exposure to negative content on a consistent basis (tragedies, accidents, etc.) all around the clock that can affect a person’s view of their own life, evoking anxiety, fears and depression.
-Cyberbullying and harassment. Exposure of oneself to others on the internet, and social media platforms where a wide array of differing viewpoints, politics, looks, etc. can evoke this. When this happens,, it can have a huge impact on self esteem.
-Social Comparison and Body Image Issues. It can seem that others have absolute picture perfect lives on social media. That, combined often with the steady stream of bodily images that display the perfect physique can lead to depression and low self esteem.
-Sleep disruption. Studies have repeatedly shown, that those who scroll on social media right before their ideal bed time, will likely have disrupted sleep, suffer insomnia, night anxiety, and that can affect not just mental health, but physical health as well.
-Addiction and Isolation. Overindulging in social media scrolling, posting, viewing, etc. can lead a person to isolate themselves from friends and family, work, school, and other responsibilities. When this happens, it can turn into a compulsive addiction.
So what can you do, if you find yourself in perhaps one of the above situations, or have a loved one who has. The following are some suggestions to help (but are by no means an exhaustive list). It is advised if social media has become problematic to the point of negatively impacting one’s mental health, that a professional is sought out.
-Set boundaries and time limits on social media usage, or (even better)-take a hiatus from it for a while. Set a time to view (much like old school waiting for the newspaper to arrive).
-Delete negative content, or accounts/block
-Ask oneself how they feel after they have viewed certain things. If negative, if anxious, if depressed, if questioning one’s sense of self, it may be time to avoid those particular pages/content.
-Prioritize real life activities that bring joy.
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