Social Media And Its Precarious Effect on Your Mental Health

Researches have shown that the rise in use of social media is connected to anxiety, loneliness, and depression. And it can take a toll on our wellbeing if not handle

The expeditious rise of social media over the last few years has given an entirely new way for human communication. Through social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, etc we can be connected to people across the globe 24/7. 

As per a recent Global Digital Report 2019, the number of social media users throughout world in 2019 is 3.484 billion, which is 9% more than 2018.From this data alone, it is evident that how social media has become a part of our lives.

However, there are implications of social media’s rise to our mental health. It can have a detrimental effect on our mental well being. According to a report, the average time spends on social media by a UK user is 1 hour and 50 minutes every day.

Everything has its pros and cons and excess use of anything is bad. While social media has many benefits but using them very frequently can make you unhappy and lonely over time.

The constant bombardment of filtered photos on Instagram has the capacity to take a toll on your self-esteem and frequently checking your Facebook or Twitter news feeds can make you sleep deprived. 

Here in this article, we will see how social media can have a precarious effect on our mental health and we don’t even realize it.

Lost Human Connection

Mental Health Professional 

As a human being, it is important for us to connect or communicate with others in person in order to build a strong and last longing relationship. 

However, in recent times it has been changed drastically. We have become more accustomed to our friend’s digital life than their real life. Even though we meet someone after a long time, most of the times we are glued to our phone’s screen which can make other person feel left out. 

When you see your friend’s posts and photos having a good time, on Facebook or Instagram, you might feel lonely and anxious why you cannot have such a good life. 

Seeing someone going for a vacation to an exotic location can make you feel jealous because you cannot go due to financial constraint. In this situation, if you want you can take a quick loan in Ireland from any direct lenders. 

A recently published study has revealed that regular use of Facebook or Instagram had a negative impact on the mental health of an individual.

Sleep Deprivation

Improved sleep

Having enough and quality sleep is very important for our health. Many of us use the phone before going to the bad and keep glued to the screen until we fall asleep. If anything interesting comes up then we start watching it which makes it hard to sleep.

Sometimes we feel envy or anxiety what we notice on social media which keeps pouring different thoughts in our mind which prevent us from sleeping. Furthermore, the light from the screen can stop the release of melatonin, a hormone which makes us feel tired and helps in getting sleep. 

So, try to avoid using your phone one hour before you are going to sleep, definitely, you will see some change in your sleep. 

Distraction From Reality

While it is great that we get a lot of information through social media feeds at our fingertips, it is also a fact that people have become more distracted. It reduces the concentration power of your brain. We have become addicted to checking after phone every now and then. 

To overcome this addiction, you need to practice will power exercise. Set some rule for yourself or you can use app lockers which locks apps for a particular period of time. A better way is to fully lock your phone for a specified time using phone lock apps like Flipd, Offtime, FocusMe App, etc.

Can Affect Your Self-esteem

We all have something which we don’t share with others and keep to ourselves. Some unfulfilled desires are hidden inside each of us. And when we see someone living those moments as we had thought, we started feeling envy and unsecure.

Many people stalk on social media to keep a track on what others are up to. This will only lead you into anxiety and self-doubt which in turn can affect your self-esteem. 

When we decide our worth based on how we are doing in our life compared to others, we put our happiness in another person’s control. We constantly look for likes and comment on our post. Some people even check who have liked their post and who hasn’t. 

Hence, it is very important to become more conscious of the amount of time you go through another person’s profile and focus more on your life. 

Conclusion

Social media can be a cause of great depression, anxiety, and unhappiness when used endlessly or without caution. Many people have realized it and they are quitting social media. While it is not necessary to quit social media until and unless you feel that it is making a negative impact in your daily life. 

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