Bless the People Who Stuck Around After My Mental Illness Diagnosis
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In addition to the webmaster’s comment on the main blog about media coverage, I’d just like to re-iterate my own stuck record about revenge just not working. This has no basis in religion and forgiveness whatsoever, merely practicality. Movies make revenge look glamorous and consequence-free, which we know is nonsense. There’s always a trial in…
I think that second quote is really the key. We’ve seen studies that are reported as showing that kids who use social media get more depression and anxiety, but those studies do not address the question of whether there’s any proof that the causality is in that direction and not the other. In other words, do teens who use social media a lot develop depression, or do depressed teens use social media more. This study seems to indicate it’s the latter. As we continue with a lot of social distancing, and activities being canceled and in person gatherings are very limited, we know everyone will be relying more on social media to stay connected, so this is an important question, and I think what this study, and others, really shows us is that there are ways to use social media as a positive influence on our mental health, and a way to use it that will not be a positive influence on our mental health.
In the physical world, we have these same choices. Do we interact with people who are toxic? Do we spend all of our time comparing ourselves to others? Do we isolate? Or do we find out tribe, our group of supportive friends/family that can interact socially in ways that help our mental health?
We all make those same choices on social media, but the key difference here is that if we simply don’t choose, and make no effort to make conscious decisions about who we follow and interact with, social network algorithms will make the decision for us. Anyone already struggling with mental health is maybe more likely to not spent much time thinking about these things, and just let the app show them what it wants to show them, and that is not necessarily going to be good for our anxiety. Especially right now.
So, if you find yourself feeling more anxious, angry, irritated, etc. every time you hop on Twitter or Instagram, maybe instead of just being that way, spend some time thinking about who you follow, and what they are bringing in to your life?
For any of my social media using readers, can you share some of your favorite positive accounts that you interact with to HELP your mental health?
Granted, they were quick to point out that the data was collected pre-COVID, so we don’t know if this has held true during the pandemic, and that’s fair. This year has been a whole different ball game for all of us. That being said, however, this is not the first bit of research to point out how we can ease the likelihood, and the severity, of some mental health struggles by simply supporting one another. That feeling that we are not alone in this, that we belong and are connected to other human beings, is a powerful force in our lives, and a powerfully negative force when it’s not there.
We have all the tools we will ever need to stay connected and supportive of each other, all we lack is the willingness to commit to it.
I stumbled across Carolyn’s post with reviews about fictional books that happen to feature depictions of anxiety and depression. I especially love her intro: “Anxiety, depression, and panic disorder are featured in these recommended books. They are, in my opinion, well-depicted with realism and authenticity. Often, mental illness is isolating, and these books remind those…
If you spend much time looking around the Google or Apple App stores, you’re bound to see quite a few apps aimed at helping people deal with depression, anxiety, insomnia, and other mental health struggles. But, we know that just being in the store doesn’t mean anyone has done any research into whether they work…
