It’s 2020 and social media platforms have become a big part of our everyday lives. Did you wake up today and immediately check your phone? Did you go to bed checking your Instagram feed before falling asleep? For most people, no matter what a given day holds, social media plays a part. While social media platforms are fun to use, using them for too long can be detrimental to your mental health. It’s easy to get caught up in all of the posts we see from our friends’ holiday travels and dinner gatherings, or expressing their political views. While we may think that these posts are harmless, they can actually cause damage to our mental health little by little. In this blog, I will explore the relationship of social media with self-esteem, body image issues, and feelings of isolation.
Read more: How to Have a Healthy Relationship with Your Phone
The good and the bad of social media
Every post can impact us. Sometimes the impact is positive but, in so many ways, our social media platforms also leave us feeling isolated, anxious, and can impact our self-esteem. You may be putting your phone down after scrolling through your social media feeling something, but not knowing what or why. It’s important to go through your feelings more consciously and see what people and pages you are following. Look at your feed and think critically about the content that you are seeing and engaging with. You may need to do some housekeeping here and there.
Social media and self-esteem
Research has shown that using social media for too long causes anxiety and depression. While our social media platforms can make us feel closer and more connected to others, they can also create a lot of anxiety for us. On social media, we are constantly comparing ourselves to one another and could feel like we are missing out on something. We may end up feeling as if we are not doing enough because our friends constantly post videos of themselves working out. We may feel as though there is something wrong with us and our lifestyle.
Our social media platforms are putting a pressure on us to live a certain lifestyle, act a certain way, and go to certain places.If we are not doing these things, then we may think that our life isn’t good enough. We end up feeling dissatisfied and down on ourselves.
Social media and body image issues
Have you ever seen a picture of someone on Instagram and thought “wow, I wish I looked like that”? We all have our own insecurities; so how can you not feel worse about yourself when you are frequently exposed to modified and heavily edited images of people looking almost perfect? From your favorite celebrity, advocate, or influencer to your friends, everyone posts their most perfect picture on social media.
In a survey of 227 female university students, women reported that they tend to compare their own appearance negatively with their peer group and with celebrities. The truth is that we don’t know how edited these images are, but we immediately compare them to our own body and find fault with ourselves.
We are constantly comparing ourselves to unrealistic beauty standards that are promoted on social media. We are exposed to millions of fitness videos and diets telling us that we need to follow these routines in order to fit this unrealistic image of what beautiful looks like.
Watch: Let Go of the ‘Perfect Body’
It’s important to remind yourself that our bodies have more functions and purposes than just appearance. Remind yourself that you only have one body and it’s functioning and keeping you alive. Show your body kindness and thank your body for all its organs and functions.
Read more: Manage Obsessive Thoughts to Ease Your Mind
Social media and feelings of isolation
Fear of missing out is real! Looking at our social media feed and seeing everyone out and about with other people and having the ‘best time’ can leave us feeling alone and isolated. Going through your feed while you are dealing with any conflict, break up or a family feud is going to bring up a lot of feelings. You may feel lonely, sad, angry, or even a little bit jealous, bure more than anything, you are going to feel isolated.
With social media, you may feel more connected and in touch with your friends and family virtually; but it’s taking away from the face-to-face interactions that humans crave and need in order to feel connected and satisfied.
Social media platforms aren’t all just terrible. Of course, using them can be really fun. In order to keep it that way, it’s important that you monitor how much you are using your platforms. It is even more important to be mindful of your feed and the content that you are exposed to.
Are you dealing with anxiety, body image issues or feeling of isolation?
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2 comments
This is an important post, Kimia. So many of us engage in social media without investigating the impact it might be having on our mental health. I love how you outline the various ways that social media can hurt us, as well as ways to more healthily engage with it. I know that I have been through phases where using social media a lot seemed to coincide with feelings of depression and that taking a step back helped relieve it. Thank you for writing about this!
Hi Kimia! I really appreciate you writing this blog post. This is something that comes up in my work with clients as well as on a personal level. Social media started with the intent to connect people and as you discussed has really affected the mental health of so many people. This blog is really validating and an awesome reminder that there are healthier ways to engage with the various social media platforms.