Humans are social animals. We can’t live long without society. Social life has a very important role in everyone’s life-no one can deny it. No amount of education, money, privilege, or success can safeguard you against disconnection and loneliness. And nowadays, social media becomes an integral part of most of our lives. Probably at least once in the day, we open up our social media account whether in our cell phone, tablet, or PC. Knowingly or unknowingly it has some important roles in our lives. And here we have some discussion about a few aspects, Social Media & Mental Health: How the way of using can impact your life.
Social Media & Mental Health: How the way of using can impact your life
Mental health is vital for your mental and physical well-being. The human body probably has the most complex mechanism ever evolved in the earth interconnected with numerous biochemical signals. It never works isolated or part by part. That’s why a holistic approach is raising today to cope with chronic diseases than an isolated approach. We often talk about healthy eating for healthy living. You may or may not know about healthy eating. But even you know about the importance of healthy eating, it is hard to eat healthy if your life is full of dissatisfaction and no direction. That is another big reason for a healthy life. Most of us spend a considerable time of the day on social media. We are connected in many ways in social media, pass through diverse messages. That has enough reason to rethink your way of using social media.
Negative sides of social media
In traditional social media, although we are connected with many peoples, many times hasn’t reduced our feelings of disconnect and loneliness.
We see other peoples on social media. And many times also compare with them. Knowingly or unknowingly that may set some reference points in our minds. Which is not good.
“Comparison is the thief of joy.” — Theodore Roosevelt
According to psychologist Dr. Steve Taylor, our appetite for wealth and material goods isn’t driven by hardship, but by our own inner discontent. We look to external things to try to alleviate our inner dissatisfaction. (1)
Unrealistic comparisons, behavior such as want to be like too many different kinds of people, can set new and different reference points. Such behaviors have enough power to make you dissatisfied, divert from your own direction.
Also, read about signature strength for happiness and growth.
Although many traditional social media may technically connect us to others, frequently these are performative interactions rather than meaningful, human conversations: “I like your post” vs. “I understand something about you and want you to understand me, too.” On the positive side, technology creates new opportunities to connect with others and can offer a bridge to those who struggle to make in-person contact. But the capacity for negative impact exists, too; social media can cause real pain and alienation when trolling, bullying, ghosting, popularity contests, and images of perfection (reinforcing the insecurity that “you are not enough”) are prevalent.-explained Lara Otte, Psy.D., The Human Connection in Psychology Today. (2)
Positive sides of social media
But there are other opportunities with social media. We have the opportunity to have a world-wide connection; can have a circle of like-minded people, share ideas, express feelings of joy. If you are not finding social support from your physical surrounding you can find a good community of your own kind in social media. That is great. One to one communication is better. I had a recent conversation with a person, who had not found any support from anywhere else, now is finding support from the like-minded social community. Moreover, you can also find your missing friend. Social media also gives the opportunity to learn more. Apart from that using social media in the right way, can give you an excellent potential to inspire and connect people. These are some positive aspects of social media if you use it in the right way.
Final Thoughts
Like many other things, social media also has its own pros and cons. Even a portion of super healthy food can posses a threat to some. And debate always exists. For example, there is a big debate about saturated fat consumption. Whatever be it food or lifestyle, it always depends on the end person who is going to use it. It depends on how you use social media. Social media has important roles in our mental health in the present day. Using the right way, social media can give you support in your life. On the other hand, binge-watching is definitely not a good choice.
Disclaimer: Information provided here are generalized information for informational and entertainment purpose only, not intended to provide one to one health consultation or replace practice of a qualified practitioner.Different people may have different health condition and may have different reaction to the same food. Hence it has been advised to consult with health care provider before application of any of above information Source and references: 1.The Madness of Materialism,Why are we so driven to accumulate possessions and wealth? Steve Taylor Ph.D., Psychology Today, Mar 10, 2012 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/out-the- darkness/201203/the-madness-materialism 2.Making Real Connections in the Age of Social Media, New platforms aim to alleviate loneliness and promote honest conversation. Lara Otte, Psy.D., Dec 18, 2019, Psychology Today https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-human- connection/201912/making-real-connections-in-the-age-social-media
