When social media and mental health are mentioned in the same sentence, it's usually not an optimistic statement. There's a lot of messed up things about the different apps we so often cling to and the over-analyzation of what people post can have a terrible effect on people's mental wellbeing. It can lead to depression, jealousy, and dissatisfaction with your own life. Some may even worry too much about their own posts and how they might be perceived by others.
Social media has a bad reputation, and I'm not trying to discredit any of that. However, I've actually noticed something quite odd about my social media experience in the past year. There may actually be some positive aspects of these apps after all.
Everyone's mental health is different, so I can't speak for every person who has one of the anxiety-based psychological disorders, but I have seen a few benefits, and I, for one, am running with it.
When I'm in the midst of a long, drawn-out anxiety attack (not to be confused with a panic attack, because they are not the same thing) or I can feel one coming on, it helps me to try to get my mind off the situation or whatever's stressing me out as soon as possible. Usually, this happens while I'm anticipating some big event. The problem is that when I need to get my mind off the situation the most, it's the most difficult. It's hard to concentrate on some other activity like reading or watching TV when you're experiencing a certain level of discomfort. My anxiety attacks give me some type of stomach problem and a form of lightheadedness/dizziness. I can't focus on the things I usually can.
However, there is a social media site that specializes in offering viewers small amounts of content quickly, where you can skip to the next person if you aren't enjoying what you're currently interacting with. Yep, I'm talking TikTok. It might seem like some silly app that is constantly distracting people, but that's what makes it so great in this circumstance. It can distract my mind even when nothing else can. TikTok has actually helped lessen the blow of a few anxiety attacks I've had.
Other than the bite-size distractions on TikTok, I've gotten help from Instagram too. There are numerous accounts on the app that focus on different psychological disorders like anxiety, depression, and PTSD. That's just what I've seen too. I bet there's even more out there. These pages can come in handy big time because they offer loads of mental health information in a quick and easy format. It can help someone feel less alone when they see other people experiencing the same uncommon symptoms or having the same problems. They often offer techniques too to help alleviate some of the anxiety. It's not some magical cure-all, but the little things can leave a big impact.
Social media has a lot of negatives, but luckily there are some good parts, too. It can help take your mind off the bad things or explain in simple terms what's happening to you. Not everyone's mental health can improve with social media, but if it helped me a little bit, then maybe it can help other people, too.
