Social media and mental health have an interwoven relationship. There are absolutely mental health benefits to be gleaned from social media, such as connectedness, professional support, education, and self-expression.
There are also aspects of social media that are known to be unsupportive to our mental health. These aspects can lead us to: comparison and lower self-esteem, increased anxiety and depression, addiction, cyberbullying and even sleep interference when we use social media before bed.
Social media has a mind of its own and does not require us to be aware of what we’re doing. So checking in with yourself about your social media usage can be a helpful first step:
How and why do you generally use social media?
How often do you use social media?
How do you usually feel while engaging and right after social media use?
Do you have a social media/real life balance?
These questions made me realize I could be using social media more mindfully to support my mental health. If you feel similarly, some ideas to support yourself are:
Be mindful of when and why you use social media. Is there another option you can give yourself besides jumping on social media?
Use an app to help limit your screen time.
Curate your feed. What uplifts, supports, and/or educates you? Reduce content that elicits negative emotion.
Prioritize offline connection, life balance, and self-care.
Changing habits can be hard and you will likely meet resistance. One step at a time, you can make choices to better support your mental health. This is an example of self-love in action!
And, we are always here should you want support.
Hanna
Responsibly created with the help of ChatGPT
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