Is social media having negative effects on your mental health?
Social media could be both a blessing and a curse. It all depends on how you use it.
Often times, I see people complain over how social media is disrupting their lives and impacting them negatively. If that’s what going on with you, you need to know how to properly strike a balance with your life and your use of the different social media platforms.
You need to realize that people go on social media for different reasons and to sometimes depict a lifestyle with perfectly filtered and may be staged photos.
You see the grand, well manipulated photos and wonder why this person is having such a great life and you are not. Comparing yourself to others or an illusion could be dangerous and have negative effects on your mental health.
It’s important to remind yourself that what you see on social media are just snippets of the different moments in people’s lives and you have no idea about the incidents that happened either before or after those photos or videos were taken.
Now, how about when you are the one on the other side of the aisle?
You take that selfie and get no response or the responses are not coming in as much as you would like? Do you pout and feel less than your self? Do you begin to obsessively check in and out of all your social media handles to see who said what, and what no one said?
Social media, if not used in the proper way, could take its course and have negative effects on your mental health. Also, focusing on comments especially the negative comments of different people including people you don’t know could be disastrous.
You shouldn’t allow your social media accounts run your life, you should be in charge.
So, how do you relate with it so that it doesn’t take over or hijack the course of your life or mental health:
10 ways to avoid a mental break down and the negative effects of the use of social media
1. The more you look, the less you see
Most of the things you see on social media are all not completely people’s truth and you need to realize that.
Many people go on social media for different reasons including to impress and show the life style they do not have.
By merely seeing some posts, you can tell they are just too excessive to be realistic.
Judging other people’s lives by what they post and then comparing their lives to yours could be detrimental.
Don’t let those posts get you where they want you to be. Remember, the more you look, the less you see and not all that glitters is gold.
2. Moderation
Don’t let social media run or ruin your thought process.
Having thoughts particularly negative ones about yourself could affect both your mental and physical health. Don’t let your use of social media become an addiction that could ruin your life and future.
Moderation is key in about everything in life and social media is not excluded. The struggle is real. Don’t let it to happen to you.
3. Be your own standard
Don’t let social media define what your standard should be. It’s your life. You call the shots.
Be your own standard of what beauty is, what joy is, what fun is, what accomplishment is, what power is. It’s your life, don’t give it away on a platter, take it back!
4. Prioritize
Everything in life has its place and there is also a timing for everything. Don’t let social media distract you from your real goals in life. Those ones that would take you to your next stop in life.
You know, those ones that truly matter.
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5. Think about the future
Have you ever wondered what could happen if the social media platforms shut down all of a sudden for whatever reason or there’s an algorithm change or glitch? Is that even possible? (If not anything, the latter one is for sure).
What would become of your means of livelihood especially if you heavily depend on social media or make money off of social media like Instagram as your only means of survival? We all know technology is good but we also know that nothing man-made is infallible.
In addition to using social media to your benefit, diversify. Go for things that are tangible and can stand the true test of time.
6. Follower count is fickle
Ask yourself about those large numbers you see. How tangible are they? How often do they fluctuate? Yes, these numbers may be good when you want to let’s say drive traffic to your article, blog or business.
However, when it comes to inter personal friendships or relationships, how many of these people do you actually know or how many of them know you personally?
May be a handful.
Yes, you can go live on Instagram and Instagram is great if you use it properly but what happens after the Instagram live? How do you feel? Do you feel you have connected with real people? Do you feel fulfilled or are you more miserable and depressed? If the latter is the case, then it’s time to take a step back and re-assess your goals.
7. Don’t let it replace the real people and friends in your life
The people you see daily who ordinarily are your family and friends should hold a special place in your heart. After all, these are the people that have been with you from the start and will most likely be there for you on the long run.
Don’t shut them out.
Virtual friends are good but physical friends are better. Don’t take the people around you for granted. Cherish them because they are the ones who truly care about you.
If you however, feel you have no friends and would want to know more on how to make friends, or if you have found yourself in a new environment and you want to know how to go about making new friends, you may want to see this post: Effective Ways To Make Friends And How To Go About It.
8. Don’t get comfortable with the false security
Be secure in yourself. Believe in you and not what is said or not said about you. Hold on to what is good and let go of anything toxic.
Take both the good and bad comments on social media with a pinch of salt.
9. Know your identity
Don’t be caught in the web of an identity crises. Know who you are. Know your true identity.
Know yourself.
If you let social media dictate your identity to you, it would not only be harmful to your well-being but also be detrimental to your self esteem and self image as well.
10. Be you
Don’t succumb to the pressure of social media. Don’t wish to be someone else or wish to live someone else’s life.
Be contented with what you have and don’t forget to be you and also be happy being you.
How do you control or handle your own use of social media? Let me know in the comments. Also, don’t forget to share with your friends and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more contents like this.
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