Online Engagement and Mental Health
When social media drains us
At this point in time almost everybody is online. Your parents, your grandparents, and your uncle who really stands by his conspiracy theories, all online and all active. You may spend hours a day, sometimes without realizing the time, scrolling through your social media feeds and reading/watching/viewing post after post. Occasionally you see the pictures of your friend’s new babies, family trip photos, or a cute picture of a duck riding a dog (that’s what first brought you to social media), but you also so a lot of other stuff. The things you see are likely sad, tragic, rage inducing, and leave you feeling absolutely helpless.
Your brain wasn’t designed to take all of this information in. Most people walk away from their time online feeling drained, anxious, depressed, and angry. Overtime they’ve developed an unhealthy obsession with doomscrolling, engaging in other peoples rage, and concern for things that are not form them.
I’ve seen it with myself, my clients, and my friends and family. Social media has shifted our mental health, and often for the worst. There is a lot of research that shows the connection between social media and mental health. And anecdotally, as a therapist I can concur, that it is not looking good.
The Crux of the issue
It may seem like there is no option or that you’re a bad citizen if you don’t frequently engage in online discourse. The truth is most people aren’t engaging in healthy online discourse, they are simply reading things that strike an emotional cord, regardless of if they are true or not, and then sharing them with friends who will also be upset.
There are ways to take action online. Social media can do a great job of spreading messages or awareness for a cause. People are able to come together from all over the world and unite their efforts to make change through their collective action. This is what most people want to be doing, but it is important to ask yourself if that is what you are actually doing online. Are you uniting with people to support a cause through collective action and engagement? Or are you becoming a vessel to hold on to the anger of others with no ability to enact change?
Disengaging online, setting boundaries, and having limits with social media does not make you uninformed or uncaring. Rather, it protects your mental health so you can better support those around you and actually make a difference with your energy.
Warning signs you may be over-engaging in social media
Taking a break of cutting down social media use does not mean that you are turning a blind eye to the issues that our country/world faces. There are healthy ways to be informed and to be active in causes that are dear to you. Here are some warning signs that you may be straying from being informed to being over-engaged.
My go to news source is social media
I spend multiple hours a day scrolling on my phone at the expense of my other duties
I don’t have hobbies or interests I engage in, my free time is spent online
I find my self feeling angry about other stranger’s actions that do not effect me or others (ex. which restaurant someone visits)
I feel overwhelmed when I am online but take no action
I do not have frequent in person connection with people outside of my immediate household.
I sort non political actions into left or right
Being informed in healthy ways
There are many ways to be informed with out over-engaging online. Knowing what is happening in our neighborhood, town, and country is important. Here are some ways of being informed and staying on the side of the line that protects your mental health.
I listen to a news podcast that focuses on factual reporting
I spend a predetermined amount of time looking at trusted online news sources
I subscribe to a local newspaper that I read as a hard copy or online
I know what is happening in my community and in the larger world
I engage in my community, with my vote, and by supporting causes (with time or money) that I believe in
Caring for our mental health
You might be asking yourself, “what is a healthy balance?” Most of us want to be informed, good citizens, and to support causes that align with our values. Yet, we can’t help others if we are stuck in the depths of despair. Here we are faced with the classic oxygen mask scenario. We must first care for ourselves so we can care for others. It is not selfish to take care of yourself and to take a step back so you can return feeling renewed. You family needs you, your children need you, your friends need you, and you can’t be there for them if you haven’t cared for yourself.
Once you have cared for yourself, you find your nervous system is regulated and you feel like you can respond from a place of action, then consider engaging in causes you care about. Read more about that here.
Our mental health is a precious commodity. Protect it.
