Humans have always been social creatures. And what social media has done is beyond imagination. I only realized this when my mom recently went out on a trip with her long lost school friends. Let’s call it a reunion!
Social media has interconnected the world in such a way that even if I haven’t met my relatives for a decade and a half straight, they are quite familiar with what I look like now and how much I have grown.
Well, jokes apart, perhaps, social media might have been a blessing to a greater lot, but it hasn’t been the same to all. And I could realize this when I saw myself envying others because they were living a life that I wished for myself or the time when I started doubting myself way too much. I am sure a lot of people feel this way because after all it’s absolutely human to feel like this. Turns out, social media can influence even the greatest of our assets called mind. Really an influencer, no pun intended!
There might be small instances wherein you wouldn’t realize that things you see on social media might be affecting you, but it gets registered in our subconscious mind. Similar instances start creating impact which then forces you to lose control over your mind. Let’s delve a little into some signs that suggest that social media might be impacting your mental health.
Spending more time on social media than necessary: If you are spending a major share of your time on social media, it is possible that social media might be impacting your mental well-being. It can make you feel lonely and isolated. It is extremely important to understand that there is no substitute for real world social interaction. The time you spend with your friends, family, colleagues from work or an actual human for that matter is the time you will never want to forget and besides it creates a healthy impact on your subconscious mind. If you spend more time over social media than actual physical interactions, it is time for you to put your phone down!
When you feel F2F social interactions are not necessary over social media interactions: If meeting the person seems like a headache to you and you prefer social media chatting more, it is likely that social media has impacted your mental health. This can trigger anxiety, panic attacks and social anxiety which can be irreparable for life.
Constantly checking your phone: If you are constantly checking your phone now and then through social media platforms, it is definitely not a healthy practice. Having a thought that others might be having more fun than you or might be doing something better than you would put you in a spot where you will start questioning yourself which will open the doors to overthinking.
FOMO: The often used millennial word called FOMO didn’t seem like a real thing until I saw people actually talking about it and how it is impacting their life. It is called the fear of missing out. If you are using social media because of FOMO, you have your foot in the wrong place. Social media enhances the feeling of exclusion, invites thoughts that might not be true and also makes us lose our self-esteem and self-confidence. It might also cause anxiety and depression and make you reach out to social media even more than ever.
Comparing yourself with others: It is no secret that social media has had us compare ourselves with others at some point in life. You might come across your social media friends achieving a lot in life, or posting a picture in which they look amazing and you might start questioning yourself and start comparing yourself with them. “Oh, why do I not look like him, or she has achieved so much and we are the same age.” To tell you the truth these comparisons are highly flawed because we tend to compare ourselves with everyone and anyone. But this really doesn’t count here because it anyway makes our self-perception highly negative. This makes one extremely vulnerable to developing depression, eating disorders and highly low at self-esteem.
Constantly checking for the number of social media interactions received such as likes and comments: “The number of likes, comments and follows do not determine who you are”. After posting a picture or a story, if you constantly feel the urge to check out the number of likes or the views or comments, this is your sign. This can impact your mind in a harsh manner. It’s important to keep your authenticity alive and unbleached and not let these numbers affect your judgments of who you are. The next time you do this, question yourself whether or not it’s worth it!
Engaging in crazy activities to increase your social media interaction: If you try crazy bizarre activities which might be dangerous just to increase your social media handle interactions, it implies that your entire life revolves around social media which is definitely a sign that it has impacted your mental health a lot. This might probably be the worst of all signs! It is extremely important to realize your self-worth and not try any risky acts or support any if it exists.
Being distracted from studies or work: If you are distracted by social media to an extent that you cannot focus on your work, you shall consider this too as a sign. Constantly checking your social media that is impacting your deadlines or your work is extremely harmful. It causes stress and anxiety and you might start feeling helpless or restless. This shall be avoided for the sake of mental and physical well-being.
Facing difficulty while sleeping: A lot of people spend their precious hours on social media even at night which impacts their sleep cycle and they find it difficult to sleep. This is because social media creates a lot of impact daily on our mind and a lot of thoughts stem from it. Once we lose the time when we actually feel sleepy, it’s extremely difficult to fall asleep later and this can easily become a cycle. As said “bad things come to us very easily”.
Feeling more mentally disturbed: If using social media as an idea to relax causes you to feel more depressed and anxious, it’s a sign again. It’s always advisable to seek help from a source that is helping you and not from a source that enhances your pain.
- Jahnvi Bedia