* Questions for Dear Ernie can be sent to: thecandor@yahoo.com
Dear Ernie,
Lately, I have been spending a lot of time scrolling through all of my social media sites, and have come to the realization that it is really taking a toll on my mental health. All that I see on my social media pages lately is people going out and having fun with their friends, or posing for the camera with their super expensive clothes on and everything seems so perfect. I tend to feel depressed and stressed out at times, and when looking at other people’s feeds, I feel like I am the only one. I find myself comparing the things that I am doing and where I am at in my life to what other people are doing, and I struggle with feeling good enough.
How do I stop myself from doing this?
Sincerely,
The Social Media Sadness
Dear Social Media Sadness,
With social media playing such a huge part in today’s society, it has become a lot easier to compare ourselves to other people. Having phones on us and getting notifications from our social media apps, it can seem like we are constantly bombarded with the highlights and achievements of other people. Social media is commonly associated with lower self-esteem, anxiety, and depression and has become an issue for the people in our generation and future generations.
When looking at social media, it is important to understand the fact that social media shows us a distorted view of people’s lives. Everyone at some point faces hardships and challenges in their life, and those things, more common than not, are kept off of social media. It is so easy in today’s time to feel like everyone has their life all together and figured out except you, but that’s not true at all.
The way that you use social media can also have a huge impact on how it makes you feel. Follow pages that post things you like to do as a hobby or even a topic or skill that you want to learn more about! If you take an interest in art, look for some pages of people who are talented artists or pages that teach you how to paint or draw different things!
If you feel like you have developed an unhealthy relationship with social media, maybe it is time for you to take a step away from it. Keep in mind that it is not your fault that you are feeling this way! Some social media apps such as Tiktok were built to be addictive and easy to scroll through for hours at a time. All of your real friends will reach out to you in other ways besides social media, do what is best for you!
Remember that you are amazing and Keep on soaring,
Ernie
(Note: The advice given is from Candor writers, student-to-student, and does not reflect the opinion of the university).
The Candor 