January is National Mental Wellness Month, or as some call it “self-care” month. For me, it is a month to rethink how my habits have been affecting their mental health.
Unfortunately, college students are going through a mental health epidemic. Right now, according to the Healthy Mind survey, which surveyed over 96,000 U.S. students across 133 campuses during the 2021–22 academic year, mental health problems are at the highest rates in the survey’s 15-year history. Specifically, 44 percent of students reported symptoms of depression and 37 percent said they experienced anxiety. While statistics may be daunting, it is a nice reminder that you are not the only one going through these issues on campus. Before you can reflect, reaching out to the proper resources, such as therapy or other forms of mental help groups, is important. However, in the vein of self-care, one way to help minimize symptoms of mental health struggles is by diminishing how much one spends on social media.
Since November, I have deleted both my Instagram account and Snapchat, two social media platforms I had left on my phone. While this may seem drastic, it was a step I needed to take. Social media can be empowering and fun, especially when interacting with content that interests you. However, for me when I was already in a bad mental space, it only increased my anxiety and depression symptoms.
Getting rid of social media allowed me to start to feel in control of my own time. Since social media platforms are designed to be addictive, it leads to one scrolling on their phone for hours on end without a purpose. This caused me to feel out of control of my actions- I would attempt to relax and end up wasting multiple hours on social media. It also allowed me to use social media as a way to ignore reality. Instead of processing and dealing with my emotions I just would scroll until I felt numb. Now, instead of scrolling on social media when I am bored, I try to turn to more healthy forms of dopamine, such as reading, calling a friend, or going on a walk. It is also easier for me t to journal or reflect on what is happening without the temptation to ignore it.
Another factor of social media that can increase anxiety symptoms is comparison. Everyone knows that what is posted is a facade, or at least not the whole picture. However, especially in college, there is a lot of pressure to feel like you should constantly have fun or go places to feel socially respected by your peers. This constant comparison and need to keep up with my peers became draining for me. Deleting social media allowed me to delete the part of me that was attempting to get the approval of others. At the end of the day, it is my own life. And I can do whatever I want, as long as I have my own approval.It became a waste of time for me to care about how others perceive me outside of when it doesn’t matter.
I’m not saying that everyone has to delete social media. I don’t mind being disconnected from everyone, but that’s not everyone’s lifestyle. However, it is important to be conscious of how social media affects your daily life and mental health. Some improvements could be to use apps that limit your usage of certain apps or set goals for yourself to decrease your screen time. Small steps can help to lessen the stress and anxiety college students already have to deal with.
Links I used:
https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/it-or-not-social-medias-affecting-your-mental-health https://socialmediavictims.org/mental-health/anxiety/