Social Media and Mental Health
It’s nearing the end of another year and with 2019 quickly approaching it's safe to say virtually everyone has some form of social media. Whether it be Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc, we are all connected with our phones and this online world. This online world that we call social media can be a great place to share your life, connect with family and friends, meet new people, etc. It’s great for networking and even becoming famous! But with all the positive aspects comes some negative things as well. It has been studied and proven that social media comes with a lot of pressure and can be bad for your mental health. So this raises a lot of questions like why do people still use it? It's fairly simple: we live in a world where followers mean more than anything and you are judged on everything you post. We are all trying to stick to the latest trends and get the instant gratification. We post to these various apps to try to get the most likes and gain followers in order to boost our own acceptance. We conform to the norm of this and feel pressured to always outdo ourselves which, in turn, can result in negative consequences for our mental health.
How negative is it really? According to Forbes and other online articles it can contribute to the following:
•Depression and anxiety
•Cyber bullying
•Fear of missing out (aka FOMO)
•Unrealistic Expectations
•Negative body image
•Unhealthy sleep patterns
•General addiction
•Comparing our lives to others
All of which are serious matters. The internet and social media is dangerous and some people don’t realize this. We tend to get so wrapped up in this online world we forget about the real world. If you feel too pressured by social media and/or experience any of the negative effects, you may want to consider taking a break and delete your social media for awhile. Enjoy life without constantly checking your phone to see what other people are doing. Just have fun with it and don’t take it too seriously!
