Social Media & Depression

Why can’t I have what he has?

She’s so much prettier than me

Everyone seems to be happy, am I a looser?

Why didn’t they invite me to the wedding?

These are the questions that certainly crosses our mind while stalking our friends Facebook page or checking our Instagram account. Should we be worried with these questions? Yes, because we are amongst the most active social media consumers in the world accordingly to a recent research done.

Liking things on Facebook once meant you have actually enjoyed the post you have seen from the person, however times have changed. Recently just clicking ‘Like’ on a post is just to show everyone else that you have acknowledged its existence, rather than actually caring to read or see what it is about. Being an outside observer you can tell that people endlessly hit the like button on each and every post they see, and you will soon realize that what they like online isn’t what they like in real life.

While social media is all about making connections and keeping in touch, at the same time it can actually make a person feel left out and hence cause Depression. Everyone’s newsfeed are highlight of the great stuff happening in their lives, but in reality there is a lot of stuff happening in their lives otherwise which they are not posting on Facebook, and so there is a big difference in their reel life and real life. This comparison between real life and online perfect life is what can cause isolation and unhappiness.

Social media cannot be a substitute for meeting a person and re-living the moments together. In fact in reality these relationships aren’t even worth a mention and you realize there is no one to turn on in reality when you need the support and comfort.

You need to ignore what everyone else is doing and achieving. Your life is about breaking your own limits and outgrowing yourself to live your best life. You are not in competition with anyone else; plan to outdo your past and not other people. When you are busy creating your own fulfilment, you won’t feel the need to seek it from others.

And of course prevention is the key, so if social media is giving you blues, remind yourself that it’s the reel life and not real life and so leave your phone aside, go outside and have a real social conversation face to face with can truly make you feel blessed.

Image courtesy – Pinterest (main image), https://welldoing.org http://www.bellaria.es