Six ways to control the effect of social media on your mental health

Six ways to control the effect of social media on your mental health

Elsie Udoh

Humans are social beings and feel a natural urge to make meaningful connections to be happy.

One of the most common ways humans interact with people is through social media. The average human you see staring at their screen is surfing through Snapchat, WhatsApp, Instagram or TikTok.

While social media plays a vital role in building and maintaining lasting relationships, excessive use of it can hurt human mental health.

Studies have shown that spending more than 3 hours on social media per day puts adolescents at a higher risk for mental health problems and that 13% of kids ages 12-17 suffer from depression and 32% report anxiety. Also, 25% of 18 to 25-year-olds report mental illness.

Sadly though, most people do not notice their addiction to social media and the effects it has on them.

Here are some traits to indicate that social media might just be interfering with your mental health.

1. Chatting on your phone in the middle of a conversation.

2. Spending more than six hours each day on social media.

3. Spending less time with family and friends.

4. Neglecting school, work and favourite activities

5. Experiencing severe anxiety when not able to check social media

6. Having a strong desire to share your daily life activities on social media feeds.

If not checked, these traits could slowly build us to become a harmful mental health illness which can affect individuals’ stability and productivity.

Hence, there is a dire need to put a rein on your use of social media and to determine who is in control. You or social media?

To ensure your full control over social media, here are some tips you should follow:

1. Resist the urge to check your notifications when in a physical conversation with somebody. Show that you are paying attention by putting your phone away and maintaining eye contact.

2. Limit the amount of time you spend on social media. Give yourself a fixed amount of time for surfing social media daily and try to follow it strictly. You can ask someone to monitor you just in case you spend over time.

3. Dedicate quality time with family and friends. They are the ones who matter and will always be there.

4. When you have to do a school or work activity, set your phone to work or focus mode and resist the temptation to turn it off until you are done.

5. When you feel anxious about not using social media, listen to meditation beats, engage in meaningful conversations with loved ones and take the time to learn a new skill or language of choice.

6. Know that social media is not your world. The real world lies in front of you. So pay more attention to making yourself better for the real world rather than living to impress on social media. Bear in mind that not everything you see on social media is the truth.

Doing these requires a measure of discipline and determination. However, be assured that the result will be worth your while. There is so much more beyond the walls of social media so know when to put that phone down and explore.

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1 Comment

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  • Jason Uju , December 12, 2022 @ 9:16 pm

    Thanks Appreciate

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