Social Media and Mental Health: Building Healthier Digital Habits
Author – Annapurna Thakuria, Counseling Psychologist & Psychotherapist
What’s the first thing you did today after waking up in the morning? For many, it will be holding our phones while still rubbing our eyes!
This is the digital age we are living in today where we are connected globally at just a click or a tap on our screen anytime, anywhere (well given the fact that there’s an internet connection on your device!).
Yes, we are advancing in terms of technology and social media, but this too come with it’s share of sweet and bitter side effects.
We are all very much aware of the sweet little joys of connectivity, instant updates, news, trends and so much more. Have you given a thought on what might be on the other side? The bitter side?
The Relationship Between Social Media And Mental Health:
If you are familiar with the “just one last reel” situation, which ends up in you taking time lapse from 5 minutes to 3 hours straight, without noticing, or you deciding to scroll some social media before bed, and hearing the birds chirping outside your window, realising you didn’t get a wink of sleep, and need to get ready for your school/college or work; you might already be aware that there’s some relationship between social media and your mental health.
Social media and mental health share a very complex relationship. On one hand, Social media helps us:
- Stay connected
- Find support
Express our thoughts
- Showcase our talents
- Get important information
- Learn new things
- Feel seen and heard
- Raise our voices on various concern and share knowledge
- Stay in touch with their loved ones (of course!)
While on the other hand, how we engage with social media can influence our
- Thoughts
- Emotions
- Behaviour
Continuous presence on social media and being hyperactive on all platforms, the increase need for validation and endless scrolling can slowly impact our emotions, self-perception, and our overall well-being.
That being said, social media is not essentially harmful by its own but our patterns of use and the contents we consume play a significant role in its impact on our mental health.
How Social Media Affects Our Mental Well-Being:
Every time you see an old school friend getting a good job or one of them getting his third car, another one enjoying her third vacation in the past 8 months, you might have felt that sense of envy or there might have been a question that popped up in your head that asked you, “When will my life be better?”
Well, this is exactly how you know that social media affects mental health.
What we mostly see on the internet or social media, is people uploading their best moments. We see only a small part of their lives but we start comparing our entire lives with that one post, one reel or one Insta-story.
This makes us anxious of our life decisions, regret our past choices, overthink the future, and above all, this impacts our self-esteem.
Check out how many of these social media negative effects affect your day-to-day life:
- Increased comparison and low self-esteem
Constantly seeing others’ success or others’ best life online, brings a sense of inferiority or feeling of being “left behind” in our own life.
- Anxiety and overstimulation
Surfing different apps, watching endless content, constant notifications and information overload can make the mind anxious and overstimulated. (Like the one time you thought of taking a nap but constant notification-beep made you check your phone every time, even if you didn’t want to!)
- Doom-scrolling and emotional fatigue
Consuming contents that are negative and distressing can make us overthink and drain our emotional energy and over time, contribute to various mental health issues.
- Sleep disruption
Late night scrolling and blue light exposure can affect sleep quality and mess up our natural sleep routine.
- Reduced attention span
Remember when a reel felt longer, and even though it was interesting you unconsciously scrolled up? That’s reduced attention span,
Short, fast-faced contents make it harder for us to focus for longer periods.
- Validation-seeking behavior
The more and more we check on the number of likes, comments and shares on our posts, the more dependent we become on them. How, you ask?
Simple.
Because we aren’t just checking numbers; we are connecting it with our self-worth.
The more the numbers, the more worthy we feel. This can sometimes also impact our mood for the next couple of days.
- Fear of Missing out (FOMO)
Seeing everyone online following a trend, buying “that Dress”, getting the latest model of the popular cell phone brand, can create a sense of exclusion from others, making us feel like we are falling behind while everyone else is moving ahead. This fear can force a ‘need’ to do or buy things we don’t actually want to, but just want to feel included.
- Exposure to cyberbullying or criticism
Even if we don’t plan to get negativity on our posts, sometimes there are some negative comments or online harassment, that can affect our emotional well-being.
Why Is It So Difficult To Stop Scrolling?
Ever found yourself touring 4 different social media apps from one to another, back to back, when you had piles of work left to do on your desk? You know you got to stop but you think, “Just one more scroll”. That one scroll is never “one” scroll and you know it. Maybe you sometimes feel a little bit guilty about it too.
Stopping to scroll mid-way is really hard and requires serious mental strength because there’s a science behind it! (Bet you knew it, haha). Okay so, think of it as a digital slot machine in your pocket. Every time you scroll, your brain is playing a game of “what will I find next?” Maybe a funny prank video, a cute puppy or some new game challenge.
When you find something you like, your brain releases a tiny splash of a ‘happy chemical’ called dopamine.
Dopamine feels like a yummy piece of cake inside our head. It’s the same feeling we get when M.S. Dhoni hits his famous ‘helicopter sixer’, or when we find a 50 rupees note in our pocket, unexpectedly. Since that feels so good, our brain starts craving the next one. Immediately.
Our brain keeps hunting for that next splash of dopamine, and the social media apps and its algorithms are designed to keep those splashes or rewards coming at random times, which makes it really difficult for our mental ‘brakes’ to work.
Now, at this point, you might be thinking, if the effects of social media are so significant, should we just stop using it altogether?
Short answer, “NO!”
See, the goal is not to completely stop using social media, but to use it more mindfully and in a way that supports our well-being.
We are talking about small, intentional changes which will eventually bring big difference over time.
So, here are some simple and practical health tips for mental health that can help you build a healthier digital habits.
- Set boundaries for your screen time
Yes, you have to decide on how much time you want to spend online and try sticking to it. Like one of those time during school, you prepared a time-table for your study time, here you prepare one for your social media surfing time.
Even small limits can help reduce mindless scrolling. You can set a timer manually or go to your device settings and tap on ‘app timers’.
- Be mindful of the content you consume
Notice how certain posts make you feel anxious or low? Those are the posts you might need to tap ‘not-interested’ or those channels or profiles/pages might be worth unfollowing or muting.
Instead, try to engage with content that feels more supporting and mindful; pages that focus on mental well-being rather than comparison.
- Create No-phone zones
If every time holding your phone leads you to go to any social media platform, you might as well try incorporating some no-phone zones in your daily routine.
For example, avoiding your phone right after waking up in the morning, for at least 30 minutes. Or avoiding your phone while going to the toilet! (Please leave it outside).
This will help you from mindless scrolling and improve your focus, and also prevent backaches and other issues one may face from sitting for long hours on the toilet.
- Take intentional breaks
Stepping away from at least one social media platform for a week can help your mind reduce overstimulation and click ‘reset’ in your mind.
Breaks from all platforms might sound intimidating, but logging out from one platform for some time, is equally effective. (You don’t have to delete your account, just log-out for a week).
- Replace scrolling with meaningful activities
When you feel the urge to scroll, try switching to something that feels more fulfilling, like reading (if you don’t like reading physical books, try audiobooks. Works wonderful). You can try going for a walk, or talk to someone (in person), or try journaling your thoughts (maybe start with how you feel without scrolling your phone!).
Over time, these small baby-steps can help you feel more in control of your digital habits rather than feeling controlled by them.
A More Mindful Way To Use Social Media:
At this point, it’s not about doing everything perfectly. It’s becoming more aware of how social media fits into your life.
By now you might have some insights on your social media consumption and its effects.
You will now start noticing, when you are scrolling without thinking, how some contents make you feel afterwards.
This awareness here, can slowly change the way you engage with social media.
At the end of the day, Social media can still be a space for connection, learning and even comfort, especially when you choose content that feels meaningful and adds value to your time online.
The difference, however, lies in how consciously you use it.
Finding a way to use social media which feels healthier and more balanced for you, is the key to improve your overall mental well-being.
Sometimes small shifts can make a meaningful difference.
If You Feel You Need Support:
If you feel that using social media constantly is affecting your mood, sleep, or overall well-being, it might help to talk to someone about it.
- Therapy can provide a safe space to understand your patterns better and build healthier habits that work for you.
- You can explore support and resources through com, where you will find qualified professionals that can guide you toward a more balanced relationship with your digital life.
Maybe, that is a good place to start.
