When social media first took off, we didn’t realize its impact on individuals’ mental health. Sharing something as simple as a picture of happiness on social media can provoke unpleasant reactions from others.
But does that mean we should stop sharing these moments of happiness? Or should we examine carefully why these feeds or posts are bothering us? Are we purposefully not sharing parts of our lives that may not be picture perfect?
I don’t think any one’s life is perfect. I post tons of “happy” pictures of my kids. I believe these are memories to be cherished. I also certainly have many moments of screaming to my children only to regret later that I have overreacted. I feed them with more junk food than I care to admit or allow them to watch TV or play iPad longer than I should. But I do not deliberately NOT share these moments on social media.
Why would I want to share these moments with others? Why would I want to burden others with my mental load? These are my own “SHXTS” that I have to deal with.
We all deal with life differently. Some individuals may want others to listen. Others may want to keep to themselves. But the general consensus is that if you have something happy to share, you can safely share with others without too much repercussion.
But if you are going through some rough times, you may not automatically decide to share with the world. You will ponder, reflect and critically decide when to share and who you want to share with. And rarely do you share these moments on social media.
That is why social media may be flooded with more positivity than negativity.
When social media causes us to have anxiety, depression or mental instability, it may be time to pause and examine our own possible inner insecurities and look inward of what might be the root cause of this emotional toll. Subconsciously, we may be comparing ourselves to others to seek validation or happiness. We may need to evaluate this perception and seek a new angle to look at our lives.
Perhaps it is time to shut off social media, so we can take time to reflect, relax and connect with things that are important to us. Instead of allowing any external factors to affect our mental health, we should aim to build inner strength, so that nothing on the cyberspace can have us shaken in any negative way.
The world of social media is often filtered with more positivity than negativity. It isn’t reality. We all need to be critical and understand its limitation. So that we don’t allow social media to drag us down but only uses it the lift us up.