In my experience, social media seems to have more negative effects than positive. You’ll check Twitter or Facebook and see something you don’t like, or your stomach will drop when you see your ex-boyfriend commenting on another girl’s photo on Instagram and you’ll instantly wish you could “un-see” every post from that day and just go back to bed. It’s an endless cycle that’s paired with feeling down or bad about yourself because you aren’t satisfied with how things are going, and you turn to social media for self-fulfillment, but yet again it doesn’t meet your expectations.

There are days I don’t feel my best, so I’ll go home and do my makeup to post a perfect selfie, and it won’t get as many likes as I want it to, and I’m right back to feeling unsatisfied. There are also days where it’s the opposite, and I’m feeling super happy and want the world to know, so I’ll post on Twitter about how great my day has been, and someone will comment something rude or sarcastic and it instantly turns my mood sour. The thing is, social media has come to be an outlet for many people, but more likely than not, it will lead to a worse situation than before. Especially for those with depression, it can be a very dangerous place to let your feelings out because a lot of people seem to lessen the severity of having depression or make it seem like it doesn’t matter.

But, on one hand, social media can be used for good as well. There’s an organization I recently learned about and became a part of, that’s using the different social media platforms such as Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube and Facebook in positive ways to increase awareness about mental health and to lift up those who may need a little extra push. This organization is called Depression Army , and it comprises 12 members, which include college students and a college professor who have decided to team up and change the negative stigma around depression by posting all over the web with different ways to handle this mental illness, as well as share how they deal with their own personal battles and show that it is OK to turn to social media for help. They’ve created a group for people around the world to come and share stories of their battles with depression, so they can open up without feeling judged, overlooked or alone.

While this group is relatively new, it’s had some fantastic feedback. If you haven’t heard of Klout, it’s a site online that takes your virtual footprint that you've left on social media and generates an objective score out of 100 based on your results. To give you some perspective, Depression Army has a current score of 68, while the NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) has a score of 67. Within a few months, this organization has put themselves on the virtual map at a higher rate than the NIMH. That’s pretty impressive. This means that they’re making a bigger impact than a highly prestigious committee that’s been around for years just because of their impact on social media. If you haven’t checked out Depression Army yet, they’re an up and coming group that is worth looking into.

It's hard to ignore the fact that in today's world, there's a lot of controversy and negativity around those with mental illnesses, especially those with depression. There's a constant need to act like it doesn't exist because it's considered one of the “less invasive” mental illnesses. However, that's hopefully about to change, which is why Depression Army has made it their goal to turn social media around to be used for good. They want everyone to know that you don't have to turn off your cell phone or delete your Twitter account because you feel like there's nothing positive coming from it. While everyone can enjoy a break now and then, they've made it their mission to become an outlet for those who need an online safe haven. Next time you need a social media break, consider checking out Depression Army on all social platforms—it just might be the perfect (online) getaway.