2023-08-09 05:30:00
Social media is an integral part of our daily lives, used by millions if not billions of people around the world to communicate, interact with others, get information and be entertained.
However, excessive use of social media can negatively affect our psychological, health and mental state. For example, excessive reliance on social media can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation, as constant interaction with the virtual world can lead to less time spent interacting with the real world.
The negatives of social media
Social media use may affect mental health by stimulating a sense of social comparison, people feel pressured to keep up with other people’s lives and share their best moments in life. Social media use increases levels of stress and anxiety, as people can feel pressured to interact with members of their social networks and respond to the content shared. Feeling anxious regarding responding to instant messages, comments and likes, and slowing responses to messages. Isolation, a study at the University of Pennsylvania found that excessive use of “Facebook”, “Snapchat” and “Instagram” somewhat increases feelings of loneliness, and on the contrary, the study found that limiting the use of social media can actually make you feel lonely. You will experience less loneliness and isolation and improve your overall health.
The positives of social media
Reach out to friends and family, get social support, and encourage positive mental health. Get information and emotional and cognitive support from online support communities, so people should be careful and evaluate their use of social media and ensure they do not over-rely on it. The goal of using social media should be to promote mental health and positive social relationships and not to respond to social pressures and illusory knowledge. Improving mental health by finding new friends and communities, and connecting with other people who share the same interests or aspirations. Find and connect with online support communities focused on mental health on a regular basis. Showing empathy and kindness. People online often share their personal stories or issues. And when you feel their pain, you can show empathy by supporting and encouraging others through messages and comments. Seeing the suffering of others can also be an inspiration and help us see things from a new perspective.
We must connect with others in the real world, communicate directly and in person, and make use of social media in a balanced manner according to our personal needs and goals.
How can we use social media in a balanced way?
Social media can be used in a balanced manner by following some guidelines and directives, as follows:
Determine the goal: The goal of using social media must be determined and ensured not to rely excessively on it, as the goal of using it might be to promote mental health and positive social relations and not to respond to social pressures and imaginary knowledge.
Setting limits: The time allotted for using these platforms can be determined and adhered to on a regular basis, and the extent of the impact that can affect health and social relationships can be assessed, and limits for activities that can be performed on these platforms can be determined. Monitoring feelings: You must monitor the feelings and psychological interactions that arise from the use of social media. If the content is negative and causes anxiety or stress, you should avoid it and look for positive content. Interacting with the real world: Care must be taken to interact with the real world, communicate directly and personally, engage in recreational activities with friends and family, and participate in various social activities. Setting priorities: Priorities must be set and focus on real goals, not being preoccupied with superficial content and superficial interactions on social media, and moving towards activities and content that promote mental health and positive communication. Take advantage of the benefits: Take advantage of the positive benefits of social media such as connecting with friends and family, getting social support, encouraging positive mental health, as well as getting information and emotional and cognitive support from online support communities. Learning and development: Social media can be used for learning and development, searching for useful educational and cultural activities, and communicating with people from whom a lot can be learned. Raising awareness: Awareness should be raised that social media is not the only life, and that there are many other activities that can be done outside of these platforms. Preserving privacy: Privacy must be maintained and sensitive personal information should not be shared on social media.
These guidelines can be applied to control the use of social media in a balanced way and benefit from it positively. Care must be taken to set personal goals and priorities and maintain a balance between real life and online social interaction, in addition to monitoring feelings and psychological interactions and avoiding negative content and stress and determining the time allotted for using social media. These platforms, by applying these guidelines and directives, you can get the benefits of social media in a healthy and balanced way.
Can social media be used to promote mental health?
Using social media to learn life skills and interact positively with others, this can help improve self-confidence and get along better with others in everyday life.
It is worth noting that there are applications and websites that provide positive and useful content for improving mental health, such as applications for meditation, self-improvement and personal development, and social media can be used to access these resources and learn regarding communities that care regarding mental health and recommend healthy practices.
Not only that, you can spend your time on the Internet more beneficially to improve your mental health through some applications and websites.
These websites and applications can be used to improve mental health and search for useful resources for personal development and positive interaction with others. It is important to take care of the sources that suit your interests and needs and ensure their credibility before relying on them. Among these websites and applications:
Headspace: The popular meditation app that provides meditation, relaxation and personal improvement exercises. Happify: A site and application that provides activities and games to improve mood and mental health. Calm: An app that provides guided meditation and relaxation exercises. TED Talks: A site that contains a wide range of lectures and presentations covering various topics to improve mental health on a personal level. PsychCentral: A website that provides information and articles regarding mental health, treatment and emotional support. Mindbodygreen: A site that provides articles and advice on mental, physical and spiritual health. Greater Good Magazine: A magazine concerned with scientific research on happiness, mental health and positivity. The Mighty: A website that aims to improve mental health through emotional support, education, and motivation. Everyday Health: A site that provides articles and advice on mental and physical health and nutrition. Help Guide: A site that provides information and advice on mental health, psychotherapy and emotional support.
The use of social media must be done in a correct and balanced way, with the priority always being the health and well-being of the individual, and there must be awareness of its impact on our mental health so that we can take the necessary steps to reduce negative effects.
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