This post may contain affiliate links. That means I may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products that I trust and love.
Ahhh, social media. There are absolutely benefits to it. We can’t deny that it enables us to easily connect and keep up with people from all over the world that we otherwise wouldn’t be able to. It gives us a way to be more present in each other’s lives through sharing pictures of our families, having a little a laugh with funny memes, and sharing important updates with our loved ones.
However, as with most things, there’s also a downside to social media. This isn’t groundbreaking news. There are plenty of research articles and blog posts out there that discuss the feelings of loneliness and isolation that social media use can cause or contribute to.
I’m writing this post in case you haven’t been interested in really researching this topic as I have. I won’t inundate you with facts and figures as I’m sure you’ve experienced one of the points discussed later in this article. That’s evidence enough.
I also will not advocate that you completely cut social media out of your life forever. That’s unrealistic, and as I mentioned earlier, there are benefits to social media. What I am going to do is give you the meat and potatoes of this issue (basically misuse of social media) and cut out all of the fluff in the hopes that it motivates you to examine your relationship with social media and tweak it where needed so you can get the most out of it.
How Social Media Can Negatively Impact our Mental Health
It Can Add to Our Stress Levels
Ever log in to one of your social media accounts with the intention of just taking a quick look at what’s happening in your social circles, and before you know it, you’ve spent at least 30 minutes reading completely useless articles like “Who Murdered the Jamisons?” or some curious title like that. Omg, who DID murder the Jamisons?! It just sucks you right in.
That literally happened to me this morning. Now, I know myself enough to recognize that I get easily distracted so I usually try to avoid hopping onto my accounts in the AM. But, I was completely overwhelmed today with everything I needed to get done and what I tend to do in those instances is procrastinate.
So I picked up my phone and started scrolling through Facebook. That’s when I stumbled upon the Jamison article. Who are the Jamisons, you ask? I have no freaking idea, but I needed to know what happened to them! Mind you, I read the article and I still don’t know who murdered them or how, but I have a bunch of crazy ass theories about who might have.
While “researching” the case of the Jamisons, I finally had a moment of clarity, realized that I was wasting my time, and forced myself to put my phone down. And do you know how I felt? Still overwhelmed and now guilty on top of it. I wasted 30 minutes of my precious time that I’ll never get back reading some stupid article that added no value whatsoever to my life. I had less time to get all my crap done and I was even more stressed out than I was 30 minutes prior.
Social media makes it way too easy to squander our valuable time, and wasted time equals stress.
It Can Cause Us to Set Unrealistically High Bars for Ourselves
Most of us are hard enough on ourselves already. Take a stroll down social media lane and it may cause you to be even harder!
Pictures of perfectly posed celebrities, friends on world travels, and happy families in matching outfits. It’s enough to drive you to the couch with a bag of cheetos feeling sorry for yourself.
You begin telling yourself that you need to start working out twice a day, book a trip to Europe even though you have no real desire to go, and wonder why you can’t seem to get your kids to keep their pants on for one measly picture, let alone an entire photo shoot.
It’s nuts! We know that celebrities spend hours getting ready for their selfies and take hundreds of pics to get just the right one. They have access to resources that everyday people don’t – top fitness trainers, nannies, personal chefs, make-up artists, and so on. Yet, we still think their appearance is a realistic goal because all we see is the result of all of those things. We don’t see behind the scenes.
Here’s the scarier problem – studies have shown that many people post fabulous pictures on social media to make their friends and family jealous AND it usually works. This is really troubling. This is essentially saying that we want the people whom we care about to feel upset that they don’t have what we have – and what we’re showing probably isn’t a true representation of what we have anyway!
I’ll tell you a little story to demonstrate. A friend of mine saw a picture on Instagram of her ex-husband standing in front of a black Range Rover. I don’t remember what the caption said, but it was written in a way that led you to believe it was his car. We were so puzzled because we knew this guy was DEAD broke. We came to find out that the Range Rover was NOT his car. He just snapped a picture with it hoping people would think it was his.
Let’s say you were one of his IG followers. You know him from back in high school, but you have no idea what he’s up to now. You don’t know his poor financial situation. You see the picture and you think to yourself, “We’re the same age. He seems so successful. Why am I not able to afford a car like that?”. But in REALITY, it’s not at all what you think it is and you’ve lost sight of the fact that most people can’t afford a Range Rover!
On top of that, if people are posting these great pictures, and it’s an exaggeration of their experiences, they’re suddenly finding that they need to keep up with themselves. Forget about keeping up with the Jones’ (which is exhausting enough), you’re literally competing with everyone else AND yourself in an unhealthy way.
Sounds like fun, huh?
It Can Increase Feelings of Loneliness, Isolation, and Sadness
When you log into a social media app, it has the power to consume you. Your mind is in that world, completely unaware of what’s going on around you. You go down the rabbit hole.
You may have noticed that when you finally emerge to your reality for air, you feel down. But you just participated in SOCIAL media? Why do you feel lonely?
Jenna Clark, a Duke University psychologist and her colleagues (ok so there is some research-related material in this post!) termed this phenomenon “social snacking”.[1] Social snacking is when you are “stalking” other people’s profiles, or more nicely put, when you are perusing profiles, pictures, updates, comments, but not commenting or reacting to anything yourself.
While you’re doing this, your mind is occupied with what you’re looking at. I personally find that my mind goes numb after a little while! You completely forget about any bad feelings you may have been experiencing beforehand. However, when you walk away from it, you feel worse because you wasted time and you feel lonelier than before. You have just observed everyone else hanging out with friends and family, going on adventures, and sharing fun experiences; All the while you are watching from the sidelines.
Is that really how it is though? No, probably not. More than likely, everyone else is doing the same thing you are.
For instance, last month I went with Adam and the boys to Hoboken. It was a beautiful day so we wanted to get out. As we walked along the water, admiring the NYC skyline, I glanced over to the nearby park. Two teenagers, a boy and girl, sat next to each other, each completely in a trance with their respective cell phones.
Now, imagine that this boy and girl had taken a selfie together in front of the skyline a few minutes earlier, posted it on a social media platform, and captioned it, “Having the best time with my best friend on this gorgeous day!”. One of their “friends” is sitting at home, bored with nothing to do, and he sees this post. He thinks to himself, I have no life, no friends.
This poor kid thinks that his friends are out having the time of their lives while he’s sitting home alone. In reality, they’re just sitting on a park bench looking at everyone else’s stuff on social media and wondering why their day isn’t as exciting as all of these other people’s days.
Get what I’m sayin’? If you really think about it, it’s not hard to see how social media can contribute to feeling lonely.
It can Make Us Feel Like We Need Constant Validation
Imagine this: A woman, let’s call her Jane, posts a selfie on Facebook. It’s a picture of her in a bathing suit at the Caribbean resort she’s staying at. But instead of feeling satisfied that she shared this picture with her network to enjoy and leaving it at that, she compulsively checks how many people have liked her picture, who has liked her picture, and who has commented.
Jane is on an amazing vacation with some of her closest loved ones. Everyone is having a great time, but she is so consumed with taking the perfect picture and getting validation from social media, that she is missing out on a lot of the fun.
After about 2 hours of checking, she finds that she has only racked up 15 likes and a couple comments. In her mind, it takes a much bigger reaction from her social media network for a picture to be a “success”. She feels disappointed, even more insecure about how she looks, and silly for posting a picture that she now feels is unimpressive.
I’m not gonna lie – I’ve been guilty of this. Most of us have been here at some point, and some of us are here way too often.
So many of us have created a false sense of security with the circle of “friends” on our social media accounts. However, how many of the people on our list of hundreds of friends are truly our friends? How many of them genuinely care what we are up to or how we’re doing? A small percentage, I assure you.
So why are we seeking validation from them? It makes us unhappy. Even when it doesn’t, those times when we get an overwhelming positive response to something we’ve posted and we get our high (Yes! See? This experience IS awesome!), why do we need a bunch of people to tell us that what we’re doing is worthwhile?
We shouldn’t be measuring our self-worth by what other people think about us. We shouldn’t let the opinions of others add or take away from our life experiences. If you’re doing something that you want to do and having fun, or if you’re wearing an outfit that you feel beautiful in, then let yourself feel that way!
We don’t need to ask our “friends” if we deserve to feel what we’re feeling.
The Caveat
Alright, back to what I was saying earlier – social media does have benefits. The caveat is that it all depends on how you are using it; Not if you are using it.
A study was conducted around this very idea.[2]
Two groups of college students were examined – a group of new Freshmen and a group of Seniors. On the surface, you could see that there was a correlation between the number of Facebook friends a student had and how they were socially adjusting to their college environment.
You might think, Oh, there you have it. The more time one spends on social media, the less socially adjusted they are. Makes sense.
But, this correlation was only negative for the Freshmen – the more friends they had on Facebook, the more trouble they had adjusting. In contrast, the more Facebook friends the Seniors had, the more socially adjusted they were.
So what gives?
Well, it turns out that the Freshmen were using Facebook to keep in touch with their high school friends. The more time they spent doing this, the less time they spent forming new relationships with their fellow college classmates.
The Seniors, on the other hand, were primarily using Facebook to keep up with the friends they had made in college. Adding these friends as “Facebook” friends was just another way for them to enhance their relationships with their college classmates.
So you see, it’s all about how you’re using it!
If you have a fulfilling life where you see good friends frequently, are surrounded by family, and are able to do the things that you enjoy, then you probably aren’t looking to social media to fill a void. In this case, social media is just another way for you to stay in touch with your friends and family.
If you do have a fulfilling life, but still find yourself feeling bad after looking through Instagram, then you’ve probably just lost sight of what’s important to you. It’s time to take a little break from the social media world and get back to focusing on what’s truly important to you.
Last, if you don’t feel fulfilled at this time in your life, that’s ok! But I wouldn’t look to social media for an answer. Take some time to reflect on what who you are – what you like, what you don’t – and try to find a new hobby or a way to connect with people in real life.
Remember, you are good enough. Period. Don’t depend on social media to tell you that. Live your life, do what makes you happy, wear what makes you feel confident, and spend time with good people.
I needed this – thanks for posting! Thinking about going social media-free for the summer. It’ll be tough, but it’s such a time-suck!
I agree! I waste so much time on social media if I’m not careful! Taking a break is hard at first, but totally worth it!
When someone writes an post he/she retains the image of a user in his/her mind that how a user can understand it.
Thus that’s why this paragraph is amazing. Thanks!
Link exchange is nothing else however it is only placing the other person’s website link on your page
at suitable place and other person will also do same in favor
of you.
My brother recommended I might like this web site. He was
totally right. This post actually made my day. You cann’t imagine just how much time I had spent for
this info! Thanks!
each time i used to read smaller articles which as well clear their motive, and that is also
happening with this article which I am reading here.
My relatives all the time say that I am killing my time here at net, except I know I am getting
know-how every day by reading such nice articles
or reviews.
Hi i am kavin, its my first time to commenting anyplace, when i
read this post i thought i could also create comment due to this good post.
Thanks for finally writing about >4 Ways Social Media is a Danger for Your Mental Health | A Lemonade Life
<Liked it!
I blog often and I truly thank you for your information. The
article has really peaked my interest. I will bookmark your blog and keep checking for new details about once a week.
I opted in for your RSS feed too.
Howdy would you mind sharing which blog platform you’re using?
I’m going to start my own blog soon but I’m having a difficult time making a decision between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal.
The reason I ask is because your layout seems different then most blogs and I’m looking for something unique.
P.S Sorry for being off-topic but I had to ask!
WOW just what I was looking for. Came here by searching for gamefly free trial
Why users still use to read news papers when in this technological world all is existing on web?
Just want to say your article is as astonishing.
The clarity in your post is simply cool and i could assume
you’re an expert on this subject. Fine with your permission allow me
to grab your RSS feed to keep up to date with forthcoming post.
Thanks a million and please carry on the gratifying work.
hello!,I love your writing very so much! share we be in contact more approximately your
article on AOL? I need an expert in this house to solve my problem.
May be that’s you! Looking ahead to look you.
You could definitely see your skills in the work you write.
The sector hopes for more passionate writers like you who aren’t afraid
to mention how they believe. All the time go after your
heart.
I don’t know if it’s just me or if perhaps everybody else encountering problems with
your site. It appears as if some of the text on your
content are running off the screen. Can somebody else
please comment and let me know if this is happening to them too?
This could be a problem with my browser because I’ve had
this happen previously. Thank you
Hey very nice blog!! Man .. Excellent .. Amazing .. I’ll bookmark your site and take the feeds also…I’m happy to find numerous useful information here in the post, we need work out more strategies in this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .
Great article. I’m facing many of these issues as well..
May I simply say what a relief to find someone that genuinely knows what they are discussing
on the net. You actually know how to bring a problem to light and make it important.
More people have to check this out and understand
this side of the story. I was surprised that you’re
not more popular since you definitely have the gift.
I absolutely love your blog and find almost all of your post’s
to be exactly I’m looking for. can you offer guest writers
to write content available for you? I wouldn’t mind publishing
a post or elaborating on some of the subjects you write regarding here.
Again, awesome site!
What’s up to every body, it’s my first pay a quick visit of this website; this blog carries amazing and truly fine data
designed for visitors.
Hello, its good article concerning media print, we all know
media is a wonderful source of data.
Hey! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that
would be okay. I’m absolutely enjoying your blog
and look forward to new posts.
Good info. Lucky me I recently found your site by chance (stumbleupon).
I have book marked it for later!
obviously like your website but you have to check the
spelling on quite a few of your posts. Several of them are rife
with spelling issues and I in finding it very bothersome to inform the reality nevertheless I will definitely come again again.
Have you ever thought about publishing an ebook or guest authoring on other sites?
I have a blog centered on the same ideas you discuss and would really like to
have you share some stories/information. I know my subscribers would enjoy your work.
If you’re even remotely interested, feel free to send me an e mail.
Hey outstanding blog! Does running a blog similar to this require
a great deal of work? I have absolutely no expertise
in coding but I had been hoping to start my own blog soon. Anyway, if you have any suggestions or tips for new blog owners please share.
I know this is off topic nevertheless I simply wanted to ask.
Appreciate it!
Nice blog here! Also your site a lot up very fast! What web host are you the use
of? Can I am getting your affiliate hyperlink
for your host? I desire my site loaded up as quickly as yours lol
Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew of
any widgets I could add to my blog that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates.
I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some
time and was hoping maybe you would have some experience with something like this.
Please let me know if you run into anything. I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.
With havin so much content do you ever run into any issues
of plagorism or copyright infringement? My site has a lot of exclusive content I’ve either authored myself or outsourced
but it seems a lot of it is popping it up all over the internet without my permission. Do you know any solutions to help reduce content from being
stolen? I’d truly appreciate it.
always i used to read smaller posts which also clear their motive, and that is also happening with this post which
I am reading at this place.
Pretty nice post. I simply stumbled upon your blog and wished to mention that I’ve really loved browsing your blog posts.
After all I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you
write again very soon!
excellent issues altogether, you just gained a emblem new reader.
What could you recommend in regards to your put up that you just made some days ago?
Any sure?
It’s not my first time to pay a quick visit this website, i
am browsing this web site dailly and obtain pleasant data from here everyday.
Hi there, yes this post is really pleasant and I have learned lot of things from it about blogging.
thanks.
Hey there! I know this is kind of off topic but I was wondering if
you knew where I could find a captcha plugin for my comment
form? I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having problems finding one?
Thanks a lot!
It’s in fact very complex in this full of activity
life to listen news on Television, thus I just use world wide web
for that purpose, and take the newest news.
Wow, wonderful blog format! How long have you ever been running a blog
for? you made blogging look easy. The full look of your web site is magnificent, let alone
the content!
Its like you read my mind! You seem to know so much about this, like you
wrote the book in it or something. I think that you
could do with a few pics to drive the message home a little
bit, but other than that, this is magnificent blog. A great read.
I’ll definitely be back.
If you desire to take a great deal from this piece of writing then you have to apply such strategies
to your won website. natalielise pof
You could definitely see your enthusiasm within the article you write.
The sector hopes for more passionate writers like you who are not afraid to say how they believe.
All the time go after your heart.
Hi there friends, how is the whole thing, and what you desire to say regarding this article, in my view its truly remarkable for me.
Your style is so unique compared to other folks I have
read stuff from. I appreciate you for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I’ll just book mark this
blog.
Its like you read my mind! You seem to know a lot about this,
like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you could do with some pics to drive the message home a little bit,
but instead of that, this is magnificent blog. A fantastic read.
I’ll certainly be back. plenty of fish natalielise
I’m really enjoying the design and layout of your site.
It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more pleasant for me to come here and visit more often. Did you hire out a designer to create your theme?
Excellent work!
This piece of writing will help the internet viewers for setting up new web site or even a weblog from start
to end.
Everyone loves what you guys are up too. This sort of clever work
and reporting! Keep up the awesome works guys I’ve included you guys to blogroll.
Does your website have a contact page? I’m having a tough
time locating it but, I’d like to send you an email. I’ve got some suggestions for your blog you might be interested
in hearing. Either way, great site and I look forward to
seeing it develop over time.
Hey just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The words
in your post seem to be running off the screen in Firefox.
I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with internet browser compatibility but I
thought I’d post to let you know. The style and design look great though!
Hope you get the problem fixed soon. Many thanks
Does your website have a contact page? I’m having a
tough time locating it but, I’d like to send you an email.
I’ve got some ideas for your blog you might be interested in hearing.
Either way, great site and I look forward to seeing it expand over time.
plenty of fish natalielise
Hello! I simply want to give you a big thumbs up for your excellent info you’ve got here on this post.
I am returning to your site for more soon.
Its like you read my mind! You seem to know a lot about this, like you wrote the book in it or something.
I think that you could do with a few pics to drive the
message home a bit, but other than that, this is magnificent blog.
An excellent read. I’ll definitely be back.
You could certainly see your enthusiasm in the article you write.
The world hopes for more passionate writers such as you who aren’t
afraid to mention how they believe. At all times go after your heart.
This design is incredible! You certainly know how to keep a reader amused.
Between your wit and your videos, I was almost
moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Great job.
I really loved what you had to say, and more than that, how
you presented it. Too cool!
Hi there very cool blog!! Man .. Excellent .. Superb
.. I will bookmark your site and take the feeds additionally?
I’m glad to seek out a lot of helpful information here in the publish,
we want develop extra strategies on this regard, thank you for sharing.
. . . . .
Wow! This blog looks exactly like my old one! It’s on a totally different subject but it has pretty much the same page layout and design. Excellent choice of colors!
Excellent site you have got here.. It’s hard to find good
quality writing like yours nowadays. I honestly appreciate individuals like you!
Take care!!
Hello mates, how is all, and what you wish for to
say concerning this paragraph, in my view its really amazing for me.
Pretty! This has been an incredibly wonderful post.
Thank you for supplying these details.
Good article. I definitely love this site. Continue the good work!
I like the helpful information you supply in your articles.
I will bookmark your weblog and take a look at once more here regularly.
I am moderately sure I’ll be informed many new stuff right here!
Good luck for the next!
This is a topic that is near to my heart… Cheers! Where are your contact details though?
I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own weblog and
was curious what all is needed to get setup? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny?
I’m not very internet smart so I’m not 100% sure. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Appreciate it
Hi, very nice website, cheers!
——————————————————
Need cheap and reliable hosting? Our shared plans start at $10 for an year and VPS plans for $6/Mo.
——————————————————
Check here: https://www.good-webhosting.com/
What’s up Dear, are you actually visiting this web page
daily, if so afterward you will definitely take nice experience.
What’s Going down i am new to this, I stumbled upon this I’ve found It positively useful and it has helped me out
loads. I am hoping to give a contribution & assist different users like its helped me.
Great job.
I used to be able to find good information from your blog articles.
My programmer is trying to convince me to move to .net from
PHP. I have always disliked the idea because of the costs.
But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using WordPress
on a variety of websites for about a year and
am worried about switching to another platform.
I have heard great things about blogengine.net. Is
there a way I can transfer all my wordpress posts into it? Any kind
of help would be really appreciated!
Excellent beat ! I would like to apprentice while you amend
your website, how can i subscribe for a weblog site? The account aided me a applicable deal.
I have been a little bit familiar of this your broadcast provided bright transparent concept
This article will help the internet visitors for setting up new blog or
even a weblog from start to end.
Very interesting info !Perfect just what I was looking for!
I need to to thank you for this wonderful read!! I definitely enjoyed every little bit of
it. I have you saved as a favorite to check out new stuff you post…
Wonderful blog! I found it while browsing on Yahoo News.
Do you have any suggestions on how to get listed in Yahoo News?
I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there!
Many thanks
This article will assist the internet users for setting up new website or even a blog
from start to end.
I used to be recommended this website by my cousin. I’m not
sure whether this post is written by him as no
one else recognize such unique about my problem. You are incredible!
Thank you!
I am actually pleased to read this weblog posts
which carries plenty of helpful data, thanks for
providing these data.
Excellent article! We will be linking to this particularly great content
on our website. Keep up the great writing.
Valuable information. Lucky me I discovered your website unintentionally, and I am shocked why this accident did not happened in advance!
I bookmarked it.
When someone writes an paragraph he/she maintains the thought of a user in his/her brain that
how a user can understand it. So that’s why this paragraph is outstdanding.
Thanks!
I am extremely inspired along with your writing skills and also
with the structure on your weblog. Is that this a paid topic or did you customize it
yourself? Anyway stay up the excellent high quality writing, it is
uncommon to look a great blog like this one these days..
Like!! I blog frequently and I really thank you for your content. The article has truly peaked my interest.
This is the right web site for anyone who really wants to find
out about this topic. You understand a whole lot its
almost tough to argue with you (not that I personally would want to…HaHa).
You certainly put a brand new spin on a subject that’s been written about for years.
Wonderful stuff, just great!