Social Media Blues

Social media usage has now become a prominent daily ritual for the vast majority of us, with statistics showing that nearly 60% of the world's population is now logging onto social media platforms. Many of us feel the pressure in our modern-day lives to be constantly posting, scrolling, sharing, commenting, and more or less existing through our social media accounts.

There are many notable positive attributes of social media, such as building new relationships, keeping in contact with loved ones from afar, growing and expanding businesses, and learning new things. It can be used to our advantage when we are in a healthy mindset and when we follow those who inspire us, engage us, and motivate us in constructive ways.

Our relationship with social media can quickly become unproductive when the line between real life and online becomes blurred. We have to remember that many posts are often a heavily edited highlight reel of reality. Understanding that what others choose to show us, is a small fraction of what is going on in their lives. Everyone has bad hair days, stressful situations at work, arguments in their relationships, and messy houses from time to time. No one lives in a fairytale dreamland where everything is perfect 100% of the time.

A friend of mine recently reminded me of a quote by Theodore Roosevelt, ‘Comparison is the thief of joy’. Social media enables us to compare ourselves to others on a daily basis, and many of us are at risk of fueling low self-esteem, self-doubt, and feelings of inadequacy.

In recent studies, overuse of social media has been shown to increase feelings of depression and anxiety. With logged screentime now an added feature in many of our devices, it's easier than ever to track how much time you spend scrolling. It's easy to become distracted and idle away hours of unproductive, anxiety-inducing procrastination. It can also then affect our physical health too when we lose precious sleep either by continued scrolling whilst we lay in bed, or the inability to shut off after hours of staring at our screens late at night.

The veil between seeking external validation and creating fond memories of special occasions, accomplishments, or experiences is thin.

Taking inventory of our own posts can help us determine whether our online presence is a realistic reflection of who we are and if our output into the world has a positive or negative impact on our own mental health. Jealousy is easily bred online and can turn into a vicious cycle of one-up-manship. Consider honestly what content you want to broadcast to the world. It's healthy to want to share your hobbies and activities or a delicious meal with friends and family, but maybe not so healthy to then cling to your phone all day after posting reveling in how many likes and comments you received.

Another helpful activity is to declutter your feed of things that don’t make you feel good. The home organising legend Marie Kondo states ‘Discard any item that does not spark joy,' referring of course to decluttering our households, but I think this can be translated to our social media feeds also. If your feed is clogged up with posts that make you feel deflated, worthless, and anxious, unfollow. Seek out pages and people that excite and inspire you to live your own version of your best life and feel joy.

I recently have taken a brief hiatus from posting on social media. During this time I have still followed others and have sometimes allowed myself to feel guilty that I am not making enough progress, being more present online, succeeding as much in my own business, etc.

Unplugging for a period of time and resetting your own feelings and emotions towards social media can help you get a better handle on your mental health. Living life in real-time is not something to be ashamed of or embarrassed about, and we shouldn’t feel guilty about going ‘offline’ when we are feeling overwhelmed.

Making small changes like trying to limit the amount of time scrolling each day can have a massive change on your perspective. If you find it hard to put the phone down, try downloading an app that will encourage more positive and productive behaviours. Try downloading Kindle or Duolingo, and when you feel the urge to scroll, try flicking through a few pages of a book or learning some fun phrases in Spanish.