Most people depend on our phones for connection. If not calling or texting, we are glued to social media, sharing what we are doing or consuming content about other people’s lives. When things happen in the country or there is an issue, person or event that we are particularly interested in, we find ourselves chronically online, and the experience isn’t always positive.
In recent days, the Gen Z movement has had people from all ages and background online consuming news, sharing feed and weighing in with comments. In doing all this, we are also tracking who viewed what we had to share and how many likes did we get. Some people are also intensely comparing the likes they received versus someone else they consider a friend or competitor.
There are also posts from friends or people you follow leaving your disgruntled and unhappy because their Instagram life looks almost picture perfect – travelling, carefree, shopping and happy while you are at home working or chasing deadlines.
All this can impact the psychological wellbeing of a person. While social media usage has both positive and negative impacts, it is extremely important that we find a balance and healthy boundaries to maintain our mental health.
The positives of social media are the ability to stay connected with friends and family wherever they might be, have access to support networks and communities with similar interests, and the opportunity to learn so many new things that can enhance our personal growth.
But the negatives are what we need to watch out for: increased anxiety, depression, and mental health issues, most of which stems from unhealthy comparison and too much time spent on devices instead of with real people. You are also prone to sleep disturbances, reduced physical activity, reduced real life relationships, envy and dissatisfaction, compulsive checking of your phone, loss of productivity, feeling overwhelmed by information, neglecting personal and professional responsibilities and stress from online conflicts, amongst others.
If you are feeling any two or more of the negatives mentioned above, you should work on managing your screen time immediately. You can tame and modify your tech habits by setting a time limit for phone usage, engaging more in real life activities, be selective about your feeds while including accounts that inspire, educate and uplift you, disable notifications, practice digital detox from time to time, seek professional support if your think you need it, use mindfulness and meditation.
