SOCIAL MEDIA

As the use of social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, has increased over the last decade, researchers have begun to explore the influence of such a popular and pervasive way of documenting everyday life. When compared to other forms of screen time, such as video games, an increase in social media use over the course of a single year has been associated with a decrease an individual’s self-esteem. A substantial decrease in self-esteem has shown to be associated with later symptoms of depression, and social media may actually enhance these symptoms over time (Boers et al., 2019). The more advanced technology becomes in viewing another person’s life, the more people compare themselves to others, which can have a negative impact on mental health. Social media is mainly a tool to connect with other people, however, in spite of the increased interconnectivity, the current generation may be the loneliest yet.It is clear there is a relationship between social media use, self-esteem, loneliness and depression, however these relationships are likely extremely complex. 

"People compare themselves to others, which can have a negative impact on mental health”

For someone who is already feeling low or vulnerable, this culture can severely impact self-esteem. An individual may compare their 20 likes to another person’s 500 likes, make unhealthy comparisons between their lives and consequently be left feeling inadequate.

11 symptoms that signal social media is negatively impacting your mental health

 

1.      First, take a deep breath.
 
2.      The first step in managing your social media usage is being aware and intentional with yourself.
 
3.      This requires some Inner Work. take 3 deep breaths scan your body, and try to take note of how you’re feeling before, during, and after you engage on social media.
 
4.      You feel  increased symptoms of depression
 
5.      You feel increases anxiety or increased social anxiety
 
6.      You start feeling extreme FOMO (fear of missing out) 
 
7.      You’re a victim of cyberbullying 
 
8.      You’re not able to focus on your work, school, or tasks at hand 
 
9.      You engage in risky behavior for the sake of social media (like checking your feed while driving)
 
10.  You’re comparing yourself to others on social media
 
11.  You feel a sense of low self esteem

 

3 ways to manage the negative effects of social media

 

If you’re struggling with your social media use, you’re not alone

 

I’ve felt that need to unplug and detach from social media before many times. Some people I know even do a digital detox practice. It’s not impossible to manage those negative symptoms of social media use

 

"If I had to give one piece of advice it would be to be aware of when you feel unpleasant emotions. Be mindful of your emotions while or after using social media, and try to investigate the source of this feeling. We have normalized social media to the extent of not listening to our body and mind’s response when we make use of it. The more aware we are to what could be harming us, the clearer we will be able to see that something needs to be done about it.”

 

1.Put a time limit restriction on your phone 

 

Smartphones are really smart these days. We carry around this little, tiny computer in our pockets that we use for social media.

 

Smartphones have time limiting restrictions and settings that you can set. For example, I recently set a restriction on Instagram for 20 minutes. Once I’ve spent that 20 minutes on the app, I get a notification that lets me know that time is up

 

But it’s a great way to stay aware of how much time you’re spending. Most smartphones will also give you a digest of how much time you’ve spent on social networking apps

 

2.Filter who you follow and engage with 

 

Here's a hot take. You don’t have to follow or engage with people who don’t make you feel good. 

 

I had a friend post about this once on Instagram. She recently did a “follower cleanse” for her mental health. She went through everyone she followed and unfollowed accounts that didn’t serve her.

 

Try filtering who you engage with and be mindful of why. It can help to improve your experience — and your self esteem— when you do use social media apps

 

3.Try swapping out social media time with different activities

 

Think of ways you can build positive attitude if you find yourself spending too much time on social media.

 

I decided to start charging my phone across the bedroom so I didn’t have access to it. And instead of scrolling, I picked up a book.