6 Mental Issues From Social Media And How To Fix It

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You have likely heard this before, but excessive amounts of social media in your daily routine could have a negative effect on your social and mental health. Social media can be a great way to see what your friends and family are up to as well as share your own experiences with others. It is also a great way to stay up on current news and events in your local area or throughout the world. However, without careful moderation of your social media intake, you could be in danger of mental health issues.

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The social and mental health issues

There are six main types of issues that may come from excessive amounts of social media use:

1. Self-esteem: Every human being has insecurities, but all too often social media expands upon these social media insecurities more than normal. It might be from seeing friends have more than you or it might be from seeing others with better bodies or better lifestyles that you wish you could have.
2. Memory Loss: Because social media is so instantaneous and ever-present, it is common for social media to distort your memory and how you recount previous experiences in your life.
3. Attention Span: As mentioned above, social media is quick and easy to access and will often have short bursts of information to keep you entertained at short periods of time. This has encouraged many people to start having shorter attention spans because of instant gratification on social media.
4. Anxiety or Depression: Similar to how self-esteem issues may arise, so can anxiety or depression. You may be seeing too much negative news on your social media outlets or you may be seeing people post photos and videos of them having a better life than you. Without controlling your social media intake, you could cause repressed anxiety or depression in your life.
5. Sleep: Getting a good rest every day is important for maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Without the proper amount of sleep, your body will naturally start to function improperly. Consuming too much social media, especially when in bed ready to go to sleep, could cause you to begin sleeping less or sleeping at improper times.
6. Human Connection: A common issue with social media is the disconnection that occurs in social interactions with others. It is really easy to misunderstand how to act in social gatherings after consuming too much social media.

Protecting yourself

If you feel like you have suffered from one, or many, of these issues, then you might need a tech detox, so to speak. Perhaps the easiest method, but possibly hardest to execute, is to just simply use less social media altogether. However, it sometimes helps to have detox periods where you take a day or a weekend without using your phone or computer to look at social media. Also, encourage yourself to put your phone down more often throughout the day and try to avoid looking at your phone in the morning when you first wake up or at night before you go to bed. Sometimes it helps to have your phone in another room to not distract you when you want to go to bed.

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Limit use

Try to prune the number of social media outlets you are frequenting on a daily basis. For example, if you are used to updating three different apps on your phone, try to delete one or two of those and only update one app. You can also help your life become more meaningful without social media by trying to interact with people by voice or in person rather than chatting with them through social media.

Social media can be a great way to stay in communication with people around the world as well as stay up-to-date with current events, but it could also be a detriment to your life. You should consider limiting your social media on a daily basis, which could help bring more happiness and fulfillment to your life.

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