How social media affects our mental health?

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Health is the state of social, mental, and physical well-being. For a person to be healthy and to live a longer life they need to have the mental aspect of health as well. For centuries we have been focusing on only the physicality of health and declining the other two aspects. However, we need to understand that the situations around us and the things that happen in our daily life also have an adverse effect on our health- that is mental health.

Mental health refers to cognitive, behavioral, and emotional well-being. It affects how we think act and react. Mental health is interlinked to our physical and social health as well. Our environment, our social interactions, and the physical injuries or diseases, all affect mental health.

Having good mental health is not self-care but self-parenting. It doesn’t mean that if one is not feeling well they can skip days and days of work as a means of “self-care” but it is to push yourself and be disciplined.

Now let us see how is social media related to mental health.

It is clear that social media is a big part of our lives. Apps like Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter which were a luxury have now become a necessity and a sense to connect and be technologically advanced. A study stays that humans spend 2-7hrs on social media daily just scrolling endlessly.

Social media has its perks definitely but at the end of the day, it is highly addictive and has now become a bane rather than a boon.

FOMO: FEAR OF MISSING OUT

Everybody on social media tries to portray their best version. They make perfect seem normal and normal seem less hence this results in the fear of missing out. We feel insecure of how everyone is doing so much in their life, going to this many restaurants, traveling to luxurious places, having their “dream” relationship. However one needs to understand that this is all a scam since nobody would try to show their flaws on social media. Seeing that you are missing out on things can make you feel left out and give you some sort of anxiety.

2. ISOLATION:

Obviously being on social media and connecting to so many individuals decreases our sense of loneliness but we should understand that sitting on your phone and not going out is actually a way of self-isolation which is unhealthy for you. Social media cannot replace the real-world experience of connecting with

3. CYBERBULLYING:

Cyberbullying is when you face some sort of hate or threat from your surroundings on social media About 10% of the student population on social media faces this every year and it becomes a trap.

4. DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY:

Humans need face to face contact to be fit mentally and to be Social media interferes with that and give people a trigger leading to DEPRESSION and anxiety.