Social Media And Its Effect On Your Mental Health
As much as we love to stay connected with friends and family through social media, outrageous use of it can make one begin to feel depressed, unnecessarily anxious and isolated. In this article, we will look at Social Media And Its Effect On Your Mental Health
What Social Media Does to your Mental Health
As social beings, we all need one another to succeed in life, and how we go about these connections has a lot to do with our mental health.
Aside from the fun that comes with it, being connected to people can be relieving, it can ease stress, boost self-esteem, provide comfort and prevent loneliness.
On the contrary, persons who lack these human connections stand the risk of having their mental and emotional health affected.
In this e-age, people now rely on social media outlets to connect with each other, platforms like youtube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat are all at the forefront of today’s human connection.
This is because they tend to bring people closer to you no matter how far they might be.
However, we must also understand that real human connection cannot be replaced with social media connection.
Sometimes a physical connection is what is required to trigger hormones that reduce stress and make you feel alive and happy.
Even though social media was created to bring people together, spending too much time on them can make you feel lonely and make you experience mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.
If you have begun experiencing these things as a result of spending too much time on social media, then it’s time to find a balance for the sake of your mental health.
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Social Media and Its Positive Side
While social media doesn’t offer the same benefits as physical and real human connection, it still has its good sides, below are some of them.
Social Media makes it possible for you to :
1. Get or proffer support during hard times.
2. Create awareness for noteworthy issues and advance notable causes.
3. Network with people who share the same ideas and aspirations.
4. Keep in touch with family and friends across the world.
5. Source for valuable information that will benefit you.
Negative Side
According to studies, there is a strong connection between the excessive use of social media and the heightened risk for anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicidal thoughts.
Below are some of the things caused by the negative sides of social media.
Lack of satisfaction with your life. Despite knowing that the pictures you see on social media are manipulated by enhancing apps, you may still feel insecure and unsatisfied with your life or even how you look.
People always share the happy sides of their lives, and even though you know this, the feeling of envy may not go away when you scroll through your friend’s timeline and see them on the Atlantic ocean on a cruise ship.
Isolation. Excessive use of social media can cause or increase loneliness according to a study at the University of Pennsylvania, the studies also showed that reducing the use of social media can help improve a person’s well-being and mental health.
Depression and anxiety. Eye-to-eye contact can boost your mood faster than social media connection can, especially if it’s someone who cares about you. The more you expect to get the same energy from social media the more the increased risk of having disorders like sadness and apprehension.
Fear of missing out (FOMO). Platforms like Facebook will make you think that people are having more fun than you or having the best lives than you.
These thoughts can affect your self-esteem and spark insecurities and jealousy.
The fear of missing out will always keep you on the edge of wanting to find out what’s new and what’s trending even when you are supposed to be doing something more important or sleeping at night.
Cyberbullying. If you do not have a high threshold for bullying then platforms like Twitter will mess with your mental health. The hurtful lies and abuse that you might encounter will leave you with emotional scars.
How to Adjust Social Media Use to Improve your Mental Health
It may seem difficult especially if social media has become addictive. However, cutting down on time spent on social media can be very beneficial.
Below are some of the tips that can help adjust the use of social media to improve mental health.
Get an app that can track down your time on social media. That way you can ascertain how long you have spent or want to spend on any platform.
It’s a mobile phone, but it must not go everywhere with you, like the bathroom. You can put it off sometimes when at the gym or spending time with offline friends. If you use a P.C, you should snooze it sometimes too.
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Radiation from these devices can be harmful, keep them charging through the night while you sleep.
Reduce how often you check your phones or computer. The world isn’t ending tomorrow, some people can’t go an hour without checking their social media accounts. Give it a try and see what the outcome might look like.
Spend more time with offline friends, and don’t allow social media to replace real human connections. Find and learn ways to build human connections without social media.
In conclusion, social media is great but it has to be used with caution because of its negative side effects. However, using social media with caution and care will help your mental health and keep you sane.