More and more studies are showing the connection between social media use and mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. There are many complex reasons at play, and since they are interconnected, it’s hard to say how big a part each one plays. But the bottom line is social media is closely associated with mental health problems and should be used with caution.
Factors causing anxiety and other mental health disorders
Using social media is a sedentary activity
One major problem with social media use is that we sit while using it. Some doctors call sitting “the new smoking” because of the many health problems associated with a sedentary lifestyle. How many people scroll through social media or load their own content while walking, jogging, biking, or playing a sport? You can’t do it. You have to be sedentary. So that’s the first strike against it.
Social media is addictive
The next is that social media is designed to be addictive. Its algorithms are specifically programmed to keep people viewing, so it can take a real act of will to turn off social media. Many people show symptoms consistent with addiction, including neglect of one’s personal life, mental preoccupation, mood alteration, the attempt to conceal the addiction, and even withdrawal symptoms. It can disrupt sleep, cause distractions at work, and affect productivity.
The content can be harmful
The content on social media is probably the most troublesome issue when it comes to anxiety and depression. As human beings, we are naturally wired to make comparisons, but this can cause serious problems on social media. It’s sometimes called “compare and despair” anxiety. When we look at other people’s lives through their online presence, we see carefully curated content, pictures in which everyone is beautiful and smiling and having fun, making their lives look idyllic. We don’t know all their problems, we only see the good side they choose to share. Comparing our own lives to their idealized lives can often lead to lower self-esteem, body image dissatisfaction, self-consciousness, anxiety, and depression. This worsens the more social media platforms a person uses.
Social media use can cause FOMO
Fear of missing out (FOMO) is another growing problem. This form of anxiety can lead to worrying that important activities and events are taking place that you don’t know about, causing you to constantly check your news feed. Then, if you happen to see pictures of friends or coworkers together without you, you may wonder why you weren’t invited, creating a feeling of rejection and isolation.
Notification anxiety occurs from the stress and distraction caused by receiving constant notifications, along with the feeling that you have to respond to everything right away.
Strategies for healthy social media use
I have worked with many clients to help them overcome anxiety and depression, and I have often found that the use of the internet can play a role in their issues. We work together to find ways of decreasing internet and social media use and replacing it with healthier activities without losing touch with the people online who matter to them.
The first step in developing healthy social media use is to evaluate how much time you spend online and what kinds of things you’re looking at. Your phone can give you a weekly or even daily report of your cellphone use (social media, gaming, text, camera, etc.) but you can also download a free app to track your visits more accurately. Most of my clients are shocked when they realize how much time they spend on social media and other online activities. I have found that the realization of how much time is wasted causes many of my clients to be truly motivated to stop.
People are different. Some people can just go cold turkey, deleting all their social media apps and turning off all notifications. Others start slowly, eliminating those that are least important to them, then advising friends that they will be viewing and posting less often.
Here are a few things I recommend:
- Turn off push notifications for social media and news apps. If frequent texts are a problem, turn off text notifications for all but the most important people in your life.
- Set times of the day when you will look at your texts and your one or two favorite social media apps. If you work, I recommend you do not look at your phone during work hours but only on your lunch break.
- You can set your phone for “Do Not Disturb” during work hours and again at night when you begin to wind down for bed so that you are not distracted during those important times.
- Give yourself certain limited times of the day when you will allow yourself to look at social media. If necessary, set an alarm on your phone for when you will stop, and stick to it.
- Make note of what kinds of content make you feel anxious, uncomfortable, or self-conscious, and avoid such future content.
I also recommend physical exercise, especially out in nature, if possible, to overcome sitting too much. Exercise and fresh air have been found to be as effective for decreasing moderate depression as medication. In fact, exercise and fresh air provide benefits to every aspect of one’s health, including cardiovascular health, digestive health, respiratory health, and muscle and bone health. So, work some exercise into your schedule every day. If you have been spending two hours a day on social media, you can replace some of that time with exercise.
In moderation, social media use can be a source of pleasure. But if it is causing you anxiety or depression, please talk to a good counselor to help you get your social media use under control and develop healthy habits. If you’re in the NYC area, give me a call to see how I can help you.