Where's Your Head At?
As it was World Mental Health Day yesterday we’re going to take some time here to look at one of the key drivers in mental stress, social media, and note some things you should try to avoid doing to look after yourself online.
We’re by no means experts on mental health, there are trained people who you should reach out to if you’re struggling which we’ll list at the bottom of this blog, but we promise you it helps to talk to someone, anyone, and know you should not feel like you need to fight it alone.
Firstly, comparison – let us be perfectly clear, we all do it, on a daily basis, in almost everything we do whether it’s walking down the street or watching a movie – Teddy Roosevelt noted that “Comparison is the thief of joy!” and that was before the turbo-charged world of social media where everyone puts forward the best version of themselves and their lives. But that’s exactly it, very few, if any are putting up detailed filtered photos of the mundane parts of their lives. Everything you see on social media has a rose-tinted lens over it, try not to forget that. Nobody’s life is as perfect as it seems on social media, so to compare yours to what you see online is an unbalanced argument with yourself.
Secondly, context – rooted in this comparison is also the context to which you’re seeing things online. You might see someone heading off on their third exotic holiday of the year and think, wow, what a life, but what you aren’t seeing is the story behind those trips. The horrible work-life balance taken on to achieve the budget and free time to get there. Perhaps there’s an underlying need to constantly escape. You can never see the full context behind why people need to share their successes or hide their losses. It’s not always a negative, but it’s not always a positive either. Everyone has their hidden battles; you will rarely see them online.
There’s also a flip side to social media; the negativity. It seems the normal societal constructs around discrimination; racism, sexism, chauvinism, and assholeism have been thrown out the window. Twitter in particular, being a conversational tool, seems to bring out the worst in people or the worst people. The cover of pseudonyms and ephemeral private messaging enable people to spout language they would otherwise avoid for fear of real life repercussions. Social media is a breeding ground for trolls whose modus operandi is to abuse, feeding off your worry and hatred over their own shortcomings. Don’t feed them. Try not to get into a negative space yourself too, if you find your own messages are taking a negative spin then maybe it’s time to reset or re-evaluate the kind of online person you want to be. The old adage “if you can’t say something nice, say nothing at all”
Mind who you follow. Seems simple but who you follow and interact with on social media can have a significant effect on your thought process and mindset. Try to clear out the people or accounts that do not promote good feelings. The less you see of them the better, you’ll find you’re not missing out on anything of real note anyway.
Know when to switch off. The idea of a social media detox is an appealing one. Trust us, we’ve often dreamt of being cooped up in a secluded hut with no connectivity. We’ve heard great things from people who go social media free for weekends, but that may not be possible with your family or circle of friends not on the same wavelength. Take heed of the warnings around the effects of blue light on your sleep patterns too, which obviously affects your mood. Try to limit your time in the digital world and spend more time being present. It can be tough, but it’s worth it.