{"id":25027,"date":"2024-12-30T11:18:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-30T11:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lotuswellness.in\/lotus\/?p=25027"},"modified":"2024-12-30T11:18:00","modified_gmt":"2024-12-30T11:18:00","slug":"social-media-and-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lotuswellness.in\/lotus\/social-media-and-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Media and Mental Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

Social Media & Mental Health<\/strong><\/p>\n

By
Dr G Om Prakasham<\/a>
Chairman, lotus Wellness
Consultant Cardiac Surgeon<\/p>\n

Social media has become a ubiquitous part of our daily lives.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chances are, at the time you\u2019re reading this, you\u2019ve already looked at several forms of social media today\u2026 and will see even more by the end of the day.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s neither an innately \u201cgood\u201d nor an innately \u201cbad\u201d thing\u2014just a new facet of our social lives to be aware of, particularly as it relates to mental health. (And, as we talk about often, mental health significantly impacts overall physical health!)<\/p>\n

The health benefits & costs of social media<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are certainly many benefits social media provides us: it helps us stay in touch with friends and family\u2014and social connectivity does contribute to positive health outcomes! Social media also puts news creation and distribution in the hands of \u201cthe people\u201d and, in doing that, has contributed to significant social movements by providing voice to topics and populations not typically well-represented in traditional media.<\/p>\n

But social media also has its downsides\u2014cyberbullying, which has become a real concern for children (as well as their parents and teachers, who struggle to \u201cmediate\u201d it in the vastness of cyberspace); as well as the unregulated spread of misinformation, which is currently an issue in the Global political climate and election process.<\/p>\n

These are all significant issues to be collectively aware of.<\/p>\n

But, in addition to the societal consequences of social media, it also has deeper, more personal consequences those of us active on social media should be personally aware of\u2014and take measures to manage in a healthy manner.<\/p>\n

The mental health effects of social media<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even for those of us not being actively cyber-bullied (which is a mental health concern in and of itself), there are some significant negative mental health effects associated with spending time on social media.<\/p>\n

Research suggests that social media usage may be addictive\u2014which means our brains become wired to use it and continue using it to feel \u201cnormal.\u201d Addictive behaviors (those our rational brain is not intentionally driving) are, of course, not healthy to enter into.<\/p>\n

Other research has found that increased time on social media is correlated with increased feelings of sadness, loneliness and jealousy. Again, not feelings we\u2019re looking to cultivate for happy, healthy lives.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s increasingly well-documented that the more time we spend on social media, the more we decrease our overall well-being\u2014both mentally and physically.<\/p>\n

Now, that doesn\u2019t mean that \u201chealthy living\u201d requires complete abstinence from all social platforms. There are some ways we can continue to receive the benefits of social media\u2014while limiting its negative side effects.<\/p>\n

How to stay mentally healthy on social media<\/p>\n

Here are some tips for staying mentally healthy while continuing to enjoy the benefits of social media:<\/p>\n

know your purpose<\/strong><\/p>\n

Knowing why you\u2019re using social media helps you to stay in tune with that purpose\u2014as well as recognize when your usage is no longer serving that purpose.<\/p>\n

For example, if you\u2019re using a certain social platform to stay connected with friends and family who don\u2019t live near you, then use and enjoy it for that\u2014but if you find yourself scrolling your feed, getting lost in hours of cat videos or Facebook-stalking your high school classmates, then knowing your purpose helps to give yourself a gentle reminder: this is not why I\u2019m here.<\/p>\n

Being aware of your purpose (and when you\u2019ve strayed from it) allows you to re-focus on what you actually want to get out of time on social platforms.<\/p>\n

Curate your social media feeds<\/strong><\/p>\n

When you know your purpose, you can also better choose how you\u2019d like to curate your social media feeds to fulfill that purpose.<\/p>\n

For example, if you\u2019re using Facebook simply to stay in touch with far-away friends and family, then you don\u2019t really need a feed with 1,000 acquaintances. Likewise, if you came to Instagram to be inspired by artistic content, you\u2019re not obligated to re-follow anyone and everyone who follows you\u2014just pick the accounts that publish inspiring content you\u2019d like to see.<\/p>\n

Knowing your purpose on each platform and curating your feeds accordingly can help to fulfill your purpose of being there\u2014and avoid the potentially toxic \u201cnoise\u201d you don\u2019t want or need, and didn\u2019t sign up for.<\/p>\n

Which brings us to the next tip:<\/strong><\/p>\n

unfollow<\/strong><\/p>\n

Do you find yourself scrolling your feed, becoming constantly enraged by the ill-informed political posts of your uncle, or the deeply personal ramblings of an acquaintance you haven\u2019t spoken to in 15 years? Unfollow.<\/p>\n

In some cases, totally un-friending a person you don\u2019t desire to remain in contact with makes sense. (Don\u2019t worry, down-sizing your social network is not mean, and they\u2019ll likely never know!)<\/p>\n

But, if you\u2019d like to remain \u201cfriends\u201d (whatever that means to you in the social media context), simply unfollowing someone who posts offensive or triggering content can help reduce the negative experience of engaging with it regularly.<\/p>\n

Now, this isn\u2019t a suggestion to rashly unfollow anyone and everyone who disagrees with you on something. Diversity of thought is healthy! It\u2019s important to be exposed to a range of views and backgrounds, and do our best to learn from them.<\/p>\n

The recommendation to unfollow is for extreme cases\u2014people who routinely spread hate and negativity, share misinformation, or just make you feel icky in their online presence.<\/p>\n

(We\u2019ll leave it to you to determine if your desire to unfollow stems from your own challenge being exposed to different views, or if you\u2019re truly dealing with someone who has some unhealthy social media practices you\u2019d be best off distancing yourself from.)<\/p>\n

Comparison is the thief of joy<\/p>\n

One of the ways social media is most known to contribute to reduced mental health is the comparison game.<\/p>\n

Social media is a highlight reel. People use it to share their \u201cbest\u201d times\u2014happy moments, fun memories, a great hair day, etc. Even if we\u2019re vaguely aware of this (and don\u2019t post our own bad hair day photos), it\u2019s easy to fall into the trap of thinking someone else has it all, their life is magnificent compared to ours, we are lacking.<\/p>\n

This one is tough to manage, but awareness is power.<\/p>\n

When you notice yourself playing the comparison game, pause. Remind yourself that whomever\u2019s post is stirring up feelings of jealousy or insecurity is also human, just like you. They have their own challenges and insecurities. They may have taken 40 photos trying to get the angle they liked for the photo you\u2019re seeing. In the case of Instagram influencers, they might have thousands of dollars of professional hair and make-up and cosmetic surgery behind the scenes of this photo. (That\u2019s not inherently a bad thing, but it\u2019s a reality many people don\u2019t take into consideration when viewing a photo and wondering why they\u2019re the only person who doesn\u2019t have a glowing tan and sun-kissed hair in the middle of winter.)<\/p>\n

Comparison is the thief of joy, and comparing our lives to the highlight reels we see on social media does us no favors in finding joy in our own happy moments.<\/p>\n

Monitor your screen time<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the biggest ways to make a difference in how social media impacts your mental health is to monitor your screen time\u2014and set limits if needed!<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re prone to whiling away the day scrolling your social feeds, or it\u2019s just second nature to pop open your Facebook app when you have a moment of downtime, this is especially important.<\/p>\n

Both Facebook and Instagram allow you to set time limits for your screen time\u2014and they\u2019ll remind you when you\u2019ve reached it.<\/p>\n

Another common trick is to delete social apps from your phone, so in order to access your social media accounts you\u2019ll need to log in each time. This slight delay in accessing your account is incredibly effective in giving your brain the pause needed to assess if you actually want to be doing that, or if you\u2019re just popping on out of habit.<\/p>\n

Take a social media break<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sometimes, a social media break is needed. That doesn\u2019t have to mean completely deleting your account and never using social media again. But taking a break (or, as some say, a \u201csocial media detox\u201d) can help to re-set your mind so you can pick up again with healthier, more intentional habits.<\/p>\n

LOTUS WELLNESS TIP<\/p>\n

Be conscious of your social media consumption\u2014intentionally setting the time & ways you choose to engage.<\/p>\n

ABOUT LOTUS<\/p>\n

Lotus is India\u2019s Top Rated Ultra luxury Wellness and Rehabilitation Center offering the best programs for Detox , Deaddiction and Overall Wellness.<\/p>\n

LOTUS WELLNESS AND REHABILITATION CENTER
Pollachi, Coimbatore , Tamilnadu , India
Call confidentially 24\/7 (+91 7339062555)
Reach us at info@lotuswellness.life
To know more about us visit our website
www.lotuswellness.life<\/a><\/p>

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