Mental Health and Social Media
Mental Health
Mental Health is a topic no one likes to touch or talk about. The reason people don't like to discuss it is that some people don't want to admit they need help or have a problem. In the eyes of others, you are seen as different, something is wrong with you, and you're not normal. I found this website MHA- Mental Health America that has statistics about different parts of the country based on age and state. It is very fascinating and you should check it out!
Social Media
Many of us love social media. It is a way for us to connect with others and network which in turn can make us feel good about ourselves and boost our mood. In turn, it can also do the opposite. Too much social media can also make you feel depressed and lonely. In the article "Social Media and Mental Health" by Lawrence Robinson and Melinda Smith, something stood out to me. "Your heavy social media use could be masking other underlying problems, such as stress, depression, and boredom" (Robinson & Smith, 2021). I know in the past I have found myself going onto Facebook scrolling through my newsfeed because I had nothing better to do. After doing so, I found myself feeling less happy than before I began.
I personally had a love-hate relationship with Facebook. I was someone who got an account right away with the inception in 2004. I was excited to get connected with friends from elementary school and high school. I thought it was cool to post pictures of what I was doing and see how many likes I would get. Then about 3 and a half years ago, I decided to pull the plug and no longer go on my Facebook account. There were a few reasons for my decision. One, I was finding myself feeling addicted to it. It was the first thing I would do when I woke up and the last thing I would do before I went to bed. Instead of talking to my husband at dinner, I would be on my phone. The second reason was a personal issue I was dealing with. My husband and I were trying to start a family and our journey was not going as planned. We struggled for years which left me miserable and depressed. What I realized was, going onto Facebook only made me feel worse. I would constantly see friends and family posting pictures of baby announcements, gender reveals, 1st birthday parties, and kindergarten graduations. When I would see these types of posts it would put me in a dark place. I was constantly comparing my life to what I was seeing from others.
I enjoyed reading the article "Leaving Facebook Makes People Happier but Less Informed Study Says" by Ahiza Garcia. This was about a study that was done on people that were asked to deactivate their Facebook accounts for a month. The study reported the people being happier not using Facebook. Which was something I could relate to.
I think a big takeaway from both articles is for people to understand just how much social media they are using and how they are using it. Just being aware of how it's making you feel can help you monitor your usage. If it's making you feel worse about yourself, you are losing sleep, or are being less socially engaged with people you may need to take a step back.
On a side note, I am happy to announce that my husband and I are expecting our first child this April! Even with that being said, I still won't be returning to Facebook anytime soon.
References:
Garcia, A. (2019, January 31). Leaving Facebook makes people happier but less informed, study says.
CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/31/tech/facebook-deactivation-study-happiness-informed/index.html
Smith, M. & Robinson. L. (October 2021). Social media and mental health. HelpGuide. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/social-media-and-mental-health.htm
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