Understanding Social Media Addiction: Baby Steps that can help you to get rid of this!
Do you check your phone for social media updates first thing in the morning? Do you constantly compare yourself with other after viewing their social media post? In that case, my friend you are addicted to social media. Well, social media or internet addiction may not officially be listed as an addiction but many psychologists are concerned about the behavioural changes in people who use it constantly. So, what is social media addiction? When you use it to avoid other unpleasant emotions. You cannot stay away from social media and it is actually disconnecting you from the real people around you.
What Statistics Say?
According to Global Web Index’s Social Media Trends 2019 report, digital consumers spend 2.5 hours every day on social media networks. Talking about Indians, on average they spend 2.4 hours on social media in line with the global average time. Indians use different social media platforms for different purpose. 52 per cent of Indians use Facebook to consume news whereas Instagram has a younger audience and it is often used only for entertainment purpose. When it comes to Whatsapp, India has 400 million users and used for sharing success stories, messages and etc. Social Media is a huge market in India and it is helping a lot of people to grow their businesses. There are a lot of success stories and it has also become a good source of income. But every coin has two sides. Prolonged usage of social media is causing anxiety and low self –esteem among Young Indians. My close friend went through breast cancer treatment three years ago. The side effects of chemotherapy were severe. She was nauseous and vomited severely. The only drug that helped her was Ativan from https://www.dentavacation.com/generic-ativan/. It relieved the symptoms and helped her go through that hell. Thanks, God, she is healthy now.
Read more: Mental Health for Parents: How to Keep a Check On Your Parents’ Mental Health?
(It is taking a toll on your mental health)
How is it impacting Indians?
A lot of people forget that social media is not the real world. Things that are put on social media are often edited and only the best parts are shown. One might look happy in the pictures but that doesn’t mean that all is well in their life. If you feel envious of others while engaging in social media, then it’s time to limit your usage. In a survey, frequent users mentioned that they sometimes feel that others are having a lot of fun, causing FOMO- Fear of Missing out. These negative emotions can lead to anxiety and low self-esteem.
(It is making you anxious)
Baby Steps that you can take and try to limit your time on social
Yes, there are a few ways to reduce your social media usage. According to experts, it could be hard in the beginning but slowly you will be able to overcome this.
- Consciously put your phone on silent while working. Constantly checking social media while working can impact productivity. You should deliberately put your phone silent or turn off the notifications so that you can concentrate on other things.
- You can start using a website that monitors the amount of time you spend on social media. This way, you will be able to track social media habits and can slowly reduce the time.
3. Once you stop working switch off your phone for a while. Strike a real conversation with your parents, friends or partner. Try not to touch your phone.
4. Feel every emotion. Social media should not be your escape. A lot of people start scrolling to get rid of a particular emotion but it won’t help you. If you use social media as a distractor, then you are only piling up the emotions. Watching videos of similar emotions or situation will further worsen your mental state. For example – If you are going through a rough patch in your relationship, then constantly watching someone who is in a happy space can make you feel envious and anxious.
5. Lastly, when you go back to social media, do not forget to set boundaries. Do not watch the videos or content that makes you feel upset. Try to be a part of a like-minded community.
Remember Social Media is a Virtual World, Don’t let it ruin your real Happiness.
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