Balancing Social Media & Mental Health

00:00

13:01

In this episode, the complex relationship between social media and mental well-being is explored. While social media offers benefits like reconnection and access to information, it also comes with challenges. The positive impacts include enhanced social connections, access to resources, a platform for self-expression, and community building. However, there are negative aspects such as comparison and self-esteem issues, cyberbullying and online harassment, information overload and misinformation, digital addiction and screen time, and privacy and data security concerns. It is important to be aware of the pros and cons of social media, set boundaries, and fill our feeds with uplifting and positive accounts. Additionally, being mindful of mindless scrolling and its impact on other areas of life like exercise, family interaction, and sleep is crucial.

.....................................................................................

Get new episode notifications: bit.ly/risingstrongupdates

Facebook page - send your reviews and comments via the 'comment' button here: www.facebook.com/risingstrongpodcast

WIN SWAG: Email a screenshot of your 5-star review for a chance to win some Rising Strong swag! Lisa@LisaKBoehm.com

Remember to follow and subscribe so you never miss an episode

........................................................................................

TRANSCRIPTS:

Disclaimer: I have a love hate relationship with social media. Does it drive you nuts too? Yet you find yourself scrolling through social media just out of habit. If you can relate to any of this, then this episode is for you. I'm Lisa, and this is rising strong mental health and resilience, where we focus on awareness, hope, tools and resiliency. We now drop two episodes every week, including a powerful interview with mental health experts or inspiring guests and a quickie deep dive episode. Thanks for following and listening. Now let's dive into the pros and cons of social media on our mental health. In today's digital age, social media has become an integral part of our daily lives. It shapes how we connect, communicate and consume information. While social media offers numerous benefits, it also comes with its fair share of challenges, especially when it comes to our mental health. In this episode, we'll explore the complex relationships between social media and mental well being, examining both the positive and negative impacts it can have on us. So what are the benefits? I think it's safe to say that social media has reconnected us on some levels. It's enhanced our social connections. Social media facilitates connections with friends, families, communities and all around the world. I bet you anyone who's listening right now knows of someone that they've reconnected with. Maybe it was someone you went to school with years ago, or maybe it's a cousin. These connections can help us maintain relationships, share experiences, and receive support and encouragement at any hour of the day, regardless of location, even if it's the middle of the night. There's usually somebody online somewhere. I just want to quickly share a story about my own experience with social media and social connections. Now, most of you know by now that in 2015, we lost our daughter Katie in a car accident. And while grief is not an uncommon thing, it's certainly not something that everyone feels comfortable talking about. So I did find a fair amount of support online in specific groups that were made for grief and in my case, grieving mothers. So it was very helpful until it became unhelpful, and I'm going to talk about that in a few minutes. Another benefit of social media is the access it gives us to information and resources. Social media can provide access to a wealth of information, educational content, and on so many topics, including mental health, wellness, self care, for example. If you're looking how to meditate or journal, you will find helpful resources and groups to help you do that same thing with fitness and yoga. If you're learning how to run a ten k or you're learning how to do yoga. You can find all of that online. Another benefit is that social media is a platform for expression and creativity. Social media platforms serve as creative outlets for self expression, allowing individuals to share their talents, passions and perspectives through photos and videos and writing and art. The creative dog and cat videos are my personal favorite, but I've also followed accounts that have helped me learn how to paint on glasses and paint canvases. Use the search bar in your favorite social media platform to help you find creative activities that you're interested in. And another benefit is community building and advocacy. It's kind of like what we're doing right here. But social media can help us foster communities, can raise awareness and mobilize support for social causes, activism and advocacy. So these are all benefits. And as I said, we're going to talk about some of the negative aspects of social media as well. The first thing that I want to mention, unfortunately, I think affects our teens and our young adults perhaps more than any other group, although I have been impacted by it myself, and that is comparison and self esteem issues. The impact of social media on self esteem and mental well being, including the tendency for users to engage in upward social comparison and experiencing feelings of inadequacy or envy, is very common. As I said, I find myself falling into this as well, thinking, oh, look at that couple out on another date night or look at their fancy holiday. I think we all compare everyone's highlights to our own low points. And don't get me started on all those filters on the photos. How many times have you met someone in real life and thought to yourself, oh, you don't look anything like your profile picture? Rarely do we see untouched photos on social media anymore. Be aware of that one. Another negative aspect, and this one drives me crazy. Cyberbullying and online harassment unfortunately, the prevalence of cyberbullying, harassment and online abuse on social media is getting worse, which has serious consequences for the victim's mental health, leading to increased stress, anxiety and depression. Now, remember earlier when I said that social media was good for me at the earlier stages of my grief? And it was good until it wasn't? Well, my story ends in a bullying story. As you can imagine, everyone grieves differently, as they should. We're all unique snowflakes. But there was one time when I was expressing the fact. Well, there was more than one time. There were a few times that I was expressing the fact that I truly, truly believed that we can carry joy and grief and pain at the same time, and that I chose to look for joy in my life and that I believed that living with joy as much as I can honors my daughter in heaven. And that's my opinion. I don't necessarily think that everyone has to think that way, but I wrote it somewhere in a grief Facebook group and I actually was bullied for that and to the point where I actually thought that my opinions were wrong and that I was doing my grief wrong and it was horrible. So that is one thing to be careful of is the bullying. Another negative aspect is information overload and misinformation. Now I think we really saw a lot of this during COVID but this can include the spread of false or misleading content related to health, politics, current events which can contribute to confusion and anxiety. And I think we've all seen in recent years how this confusion and misinformation can break relationships down and act as a huge divider in our society. Yet another negative aspect is digital addiction and screen time. More and more we are seeing digital addiction and excessive screen time associated with social media use, including the potential for compulsive behaviors, decreased productivity, and disrupted sleep patterns, all which can negatively impact mental and emotional well being. Parents, this is tough territory to negotiate with your kids, but it is a worthwhile conversation if you can. It's best for all of us to charge our devices outside the bedroom. And last but not least, I'm not going to dive into it too much, but I think we can all agree that a negative aspect of social media is privacy and data security concerns. So in summary, there are pros and cons of social media in regard to mental health. So awareness is key. Setting boundaries with ourselves is important. Before following someone or responding, check in with yourself. Is this someone who is helping me feel better or is it someone who's hindering my mental well being? Delete the accounts that make you feel worse or annoy you. Aim to fill your feed with uplifting and positive accounts. I did a little housekeeping activity myself and deleted a lot of accounts that just weren't aligned. It felt really good actually. Set timers and be cognizant of mindless scrolling. And what it's keeping you from is the mindless scrolling. Keeping you from exercising, interacting with your family, getting to bed at a reasonable time. Just be aware and make good decisions. Since we are talking about social media today, I would be remiss if I didn't suggest that you follow the rising strong podcast account on Instagram. Our handle is at rising strong podcast and last but not least, please rate and review the rising strong podcast. Your reviews help us grow and reach more listeners. Together we can offer hope to more people. I read each and every one, and they mean the world to me. Stay well and be resilient, my friends, and we'll catch you next time. And remember, you were made for more.