
This blog post contains information on the health components of the usage of social media.
Many individuals who use social media are being reinforced into believing “likes” are a reward. When we feel as though we are liked enough by others, our brain releases dopamine, making us feel better about ourselves.
I am guilty, social media has definitely made me care more about the way I present myself. The beauty standards, especially for women are unattainable and fake. Social media has created filters, photo editing apps, beauty enhancement features. Many individuals, post in order to gain or get a response from others focusing to much of their energy on interactions. Many individuals focus on the feedback from their post and also compare their post to others.
I was introduced to this new term called FOMO, which stands for Fear of Missing Out. Many fear not making memories and missing out on experiences. Missing experiences can often lead to anxiety and depression. Often, many individuals find out through social media that they were not invited to an event. Not being invited to an event that all your friends are at can cause overthinking, provoke thoughts and negative feelings.

It is important to remember that this is a real thing and often can make us as humans feel bad about ourselves. I bet, we can all agree we’ve been left out of something and has affected us negatively. Social media has made it seem as though others have better lives than the ones we do and are having more fun than we are. It is important to remember that this phenomenon is becoming normalized due to the consumption of social media. There are helpful coping methods to deal with the fear of missing out. It is important that many focus on what they have rather than what they lack. Doing healthy things for example like journaling and finding meaningful connections can help with the negative health affects of FOMO and the negative affect of social media.
Social media has many benefits if used positively. It allows many to share their ideas, connects individuals, and many get news and information from using social media. If used negatively it can impact your health by creating depression, anxiety, and feeling lonely.
If you find yourself de-prioritizing your self over social media, noticing that relationships are being affected, noticing that you’re falling behind on priorities, and comparing yourself to others and getting jealous, social media has affect your mental health.
When I realize that my mental health is off, I’ve find myself setting limiting social media apps
to decrease my usage on social media. Social media has definitely affected my mental health. I have found myself worrying about things that don’t matter due to social media. I have often taken social media breaks to focus on myself.
“Social media has created a society that cares about “likes” rather than meaningful connections. Social media can be damaging towards our mental health. Some helpful tips include talking breaks from social media and finding meaningful connections”.
