Are you struck by social media depression?

Social media has drastically changed the way we live and socialize. Relationships that are possible beyond boundaries of proximity or knowledge about each other, relationships that are non committal and that run on the premise of ‘showing up’. Friends, family and even strangers who share your interests are never far away when you have the convenience afforded by a social networks. People still feel depressed, lonely or unhappy when they have such a seemingly useful tool at their discretion? It may be worthwhile to ask yourself if you are the one who suffers from social media syndrome.

However, although there is no scientific proof of a direct correlation between social media and depression in healthy individuals, social media does have a potential to negatively impact self-esteem, mental-health and emotional well-being as some newer studies suggest.

Low or no support on online linkages

Feeling stressed out or tired, it’s only natural. Feeling anxious and depressed can happen due to; problems at work, self-image issues, fatigue, relationship problems, arguments with friends and family, low self-esteem, etc. and “just talk to someone about it” actually works, with friends or family members you are close with and whose opinions you trust.

Noticing people posting a supportive comment on your status and commenting on pictures from a party, portrays futility of their expressed involvement with your issues, and there is a good chance that you may be left feeling worse than before. In such cases it’s best to leave the computer and get a cup of coffee with someone you trust, write down your feelings on a piece of paper or let off steam through exercise.

Developing envy with other people and fear you are missing out in life

Even when people do not have a reason to suffer, logging on to social media and immersing yourself in pictures of excited people drinking, laughing, making fools of themselves or chilling on a beach can be nerve wrecking at times.

Feelings of disappointment and envy wash over they realized these people were all having fun with others while they were alone. People move from feeling slightly bored, yet reasonably contented, to feeling lonely and pensive.

Effect on relationships

Social media allows you access to a lot of private information about a person. Some can’t handle what essentially equates to socially acceptable voyeurism very well..

Benchmarking your self-worth on the number of friends, interactions and likes

People experience noticeable irritation because they had no notifications after being away from the computer for a whole day. Think of it, are you just the sum of all your friends, believing social status depends on the number of comments, likes and other interactions between you and your virtual friends.

Vulnerability to Cyber threats

Sarcastic and rude comments as a negative part of opening yourself up to a huge number of people, only a few of which are actually close to you, but sometimes things escalate far past the point of someone being rude or inconsiderate. Cyber bullying is extremely dangerous, and there are many criminal incidents to demonstrate this.

If you are one of the millions of casual social media users whose mood isn’t significantly affected by online social life then good for you, but if you see any of the signs that social media may be causing you to feel lonely, sad, depressed, angry, jealous, envious or anxious, then you should consider giving it a break and working on some of the underlying problems, even if that means seeking professional help. ( www.thegrowthevangelist.com )