Social media has of late become part and parcel of daily life. With social media platforms, one is connected to their friends, family, business associates, and other related groups daily. Many other advantages come with social media platforms that we should all be aware of. But there are many associated disadvantages that social media has brought to its users. One of these is mental health problems. We could for sure say that the benefits of social media platforms outweigh the disadvantages. It is for this reason that many people have been contacting Vervebook facebook growth service to help them increase their social media numbers.
Now, one of the questions we shall be asking ourselves in this write-up is how social media affects mental health. We shall discuss what one can do to ward off these mental effects and how one can get treated for this problem. Here are some things you may need to know about the relationship between social media and mental health:
What is mental health?
Mental health includes the well-being of our emotional and psychological status. It has everything to do with how we think, how we act and cope with life, and how we feel. Mental health also helps determine how we can handle stress, what kind of choices we make, and how we relate with other people. One thing you need to know is that mental health affects most of our other health departments and as such, we should always guard it. Mental health is very important in all stages of life.
What are mental disorders?
It is also important for us to understand what mental disorders are before we can discuss how social media can affect our mental health. As a definition, mental disorders are conditions that can affect our moods, our thinking, and our behavior. This can be short-lived or long-term. Mental disorders can affect how we relate with others and how we function daily.
How important is mental health?
Well, mental health should be guarded because it is part and parcel of your overall well-being. Here are reasons why we should all guard our mental health department:
- It helps us to cope with the daily stresses of life.
- It helps us to be physically fit and healthy.
- Mental health helps us to build on our relationships.
- Mental health ensures that we can make gainful contributions to the communities we live in.
- Mental health helps us to be productive in our jobs and ensures that we can realize our full potential.
Social Media and Mental Health
So, now is the time to discuss how social media affects mental health, both positively and negatively. Remember that social media platforms have been on the increase and this has brought very many benefits with them. For instance, during this time when people have to practice social distancing because of the coronavirus, social media has been one of the most reliable means of people keeping together and relating. It has been a good means of communication and has ensured that people and businesses can brief one another and transact all kinds of businesses.
What role does social media play in mental health?
Human beings are social. They rely on one another for companionship and as such, social media connections make life easy for most people. Social connectivity ensures that people will not be stressed, they can ease anxiety, boost their self-worth and prevent loneliness. As such, lack of social connectivity can be a cause of mental and emotional instability. In today’s life, people have relied on social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, and many others.
Since one can rely on social media for connections, on the flip side, there are instances where sad stories shared on these platforms have brought negative effects on the users. As such, there are many positive sides and negative sides of social media platforms to their users. As such, one has to be balanced in how one uses and consumes social media stories and posts.
The positive side of social media
Even though the virtual interactions we have on social media do not have equal benefits when compared to face-to-face communications, they still help one to remain in contact with their friends and relatives.
Here are the social benefits of social media in maintaining mental health:
- It enables one to be in communication with family and friends all over the world. Through social media, you can connect with people and communities that share your interests. This contributes to your social wellbeing and positively helps your mental health.
- You can join and promote worthwhile causes as well as raise awareness on important issues
- You can offer or seek support during rough times in life.
- One can find vital social connections in instances when they are suffering anxiety, when they have limited independence, or when one lives in remote areas.
- Social media platforms offer people outlets for their self-expression and their creativity.
- Social media helps one discover information that helps them in learning and can be a source of motivation to self-discovery, albeit with great care.
What are the negative aspects of social media?
Since social media is a new technology, not much research has been done on the long-term consequences of using it. However, there are some links between heavy usage of social media platforms and depression, self-harm, anxiety, and loneliness. Here are other negative aspects of social media:
- Poor self-image, especially where social media network friends and followers make negative comments about one’s appearance.
- Fear of missing out. This is a situation where one wants to behave and look like their social media friends and followers.
- Isolation may also be a consequence where one is always bothered with social media only. Such a person may not want to socialize with people on a face-to-face basis.
From the above arguments, it is clear that social media platforms have both positive and negative benefits to the users. As such, it is important that people are aware of this and can balance how they use these platforms. This way, one can have a healthy mind as they enjoy social media interactions.