How Social Media Shapes Our Mental Well-Being?

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Is social media fun or is it the strongest element of distraction? Social media is indeed connected with various mental health disorders like low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression. Hence, the impact of social media on mental well-being is indeed profound! The reason behind these disorders is that people don’t always limit themselves when using various platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and others. Researchers have also pointed out that reducing social media time lets you stay on the right track while overuse can affect your mental health poorly.

If you are wondering how social media can impact mental well-being negatively, read on to know more:

Bad addiction

Although experts do not agree whether social media or the internet is addictive it does shape the personality of an individual. Moreover, people using social media extensively tend to modify their lifestyle based on the content being watched. Moreover, it has been observed that addiction to these platforms may lead to neglecting your loved ones, mood swings, bickering, hatred, and impatience. However, a lot depends on the traits of each individual using social media, and the ways social media can affect mental health is multi-dimensional!

Comparing yourself to others

You often end up comparing yourself to others when using social media actively. Now the question is how good or bad is it. That friend you have been chatting with over social media may have a perfect career while you may be struggling to get through. Similarly, social media is the hub of influencers offering a distorted view of beauty and appearance by using makeup and lighting to ensure that the shots come out right. Little do the people watching them know that they use filters to remove imperfections. Many people experience low self-esteem when watching influencers online.

Feeling of isolation

Social media tends to leave people isolated as users abandon, friends, family, and acquaintances. However, those limiting the usage may not experience feelings of severe isolation. Studies reveal that people using these platforms for more than two hours is likely to feel more isolated than those adhering to schedules of 30 minutes or even less. This is one of the most healthy tips for using social media for mental well-being.

Leads to jealousy

Using social media and watching others shine may be a major cause of jealousy among users. Seeing other people in perfect situations triggers feelings of jealousy and end up being a victim of a vicious cycle while striving to make their lives better.

Become a victim of bullying

Young people using social media platforms randomly may fall victim to trolling that aims to make others’ lives miserable. Reports reveal that around 60% of teens may fall prey to fake rumors, stalking, physical threats, name-calling, and images being shared without consent. Those witnessing bullying experiences may face negative mental health like depression, stress, and anxiety. However, even adults become victims of bullying and need to struggle with the same issues. These issues strongly reflect that social media and mental health are closely interconnected.

Disturbed sleep patterns

If you are also addicted to social media, you will often start browsing the channels in the middle of the night or wake up late hours to watch those clips. If you want to get a good night’s sleep and relief from disrupted sleep patterns, take a break from scrolling and feel relaxed.

If you catch yourself scrolling the social media channels frequently, put your laptop or phone down. Immerse in physical socializing or go shopping instead. The sooner you come out of the addiction the better it is to boost your mental well-being. The role of social media in shaping mental health is therefore, an obvious factor, which you need to take control of to achieve peace.

Theresa Perez

Theresa Perez is a seasoned writer for the health industry dedicated to providing fact-based health information. She sources concise facts from authoritative sources to ensure maximum credibility and shares guidelines to lead a healthy lifestyle.