Entry #4 The Media

                       Social media + Mental health

HOW IS SOIAL MEDIA EVEN RELATED TO OUR MENTAL HEALTH?

- The second you get on social media is the second you enter this so called world of "perfection". We even get "rewarded" with likes, hearts, shares, or even a thumbs up. We then tend to turn those "rewards" into the truth. In reality, It's fake popularity.              

SIGNS SOCAL MEDIA IS AFFECTING YOU ...

• You compare you looks to others

You starts realizing that as soon as you see someone post a decent picture, you start questioning yourself. For example, "Am I even pretty/handsome enough?", "Do I fit in?" and "Am I fitting the beauty standards?". 

• Comparing your success to others 

 You have to remember that social media is NOT real life and it very unlikely that people will post when they are unsuccessful. You don't know how long it took this person to get to where they're at, what they did to get there, or what they're currently doing to get to where they're now.

How to not let social media affect you !

• Spend less time on social media
• Encourage communication 
• Use social media unintentionally 
• Talk with friends (offline)

Too much social media?? 

• Lowered self-esteem
• Less physical activities
• Little to no concentration
• Getting little to no sleep

Covid-19

When COVID -19 hit we obviously had to stay in and quarantine ourselves from everyone to help slow down the spread of the virus. Due to everything being closed, it meant being home all day! Which at first was so exciting to hear, but when we saw the spread getting worse and worse, it was no longer too exciting. Slowly but surely the virus spread started decreasing and everything begin opening back up. Being home all day caused depression for lots of people.

• 31% reported anxiety or depression

• 13% increase substance usage 

• 26% reported stress symptoms
• 11% reported suicial thoughts