On this #MindfulMonday, let's tackle an essential matter of ..

On this #MindfulMonday, let's tackle an essential matter of #MentalHealth in 2021: Social media. Before I give my opinion on this, here's some recent research findings. (this is from a Times publication) According to a recent survey of thousands of adults, Instagram is the worst social media network for mental health and wellbeing. While the photo-based platform got points for self-expression and self-identity, it was also associated with high levels of anxiety, depression, bullying and FOMO, or the "fear of missing out." Out of five social networks included in the survey, YouTube received the highest marks for health and wellbeing and was the only site that received a net positive score by respondents. Twitter came in second, followed by Facebook and then Snapchat—with Instagram bringing up the rear. Previous studies have suggested that people who spend more than two hours a day on social networking sites are more likely to report psychological distress. "Seeing friends constantly on holiday or enjoying nights out can make people feel like they are missing out while others enjoy life," the report states. "These feelings can promote a 'compare and despair' attitude." Other research has found that the more social networks an adult uses, the more likely he or she is to report depression and anxiety. Study authors say that trying to navigate between different norms and friend networks on various platforms could be to blame. (end of the excerpt) Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not one of those people who believe that social media is pure evil. It is excellent to keep in touch with people. It is fantastic to post some lovely memories and open up discussions. And it's obviously great to follow businesses, news, and people you enjoy seeing news from. However, we're living in a world where mental health is at an all-time low. My advice would be the following: 1- Look at every platform you are on and ask yourself, does it make me happy? Does it bring me anything at all? If you are on 4-5 places, you probably use some of those platforms mindlessly without gaining much of it. Removing only one platform could make a difference. You don't want to delete your account? Fine, just delete the app on your phone. This way, you can still gain access if it's really needed, but you won't have the temptation each time you open your phone. Or do like me. I've simply sent those icons on the last page of my phone. The less I see them, the less I use them. I've reduced my time on some platforms by 50% this way. I ended up realizing that I didn't WANT to look at those. I would open my phone, see the app, mindlessly click on it and then scroll forever for no reason. 2- Try to limit the time you spend on. I know that most phones have time stats to show how much time you spend on social networking. Look at your number, and try to limit it to two hours a day as per the study. Two hours is already a LONG time. Think about it. That's over 14 hours a week. That's a part-time job! And yet, you might think "I never spend that much time on this!" and when you look at your stats, you realize that the time spent on those platforms is INSANE. An average user spent 2 hours and 24 minutes per day on social media in 2020. 50.1% of the time spent on mobile was done using social media apps in 2020. Facebook is the most popular, costing people an average of 2 hours and 24 minutes each day. 3- Follow people and pages that make you feel good and smile. Stop arguing with idiots. Just unfollow them. You're jealous of someone who only shows his/her perfect life (although we all know it's far from perfect)? Unfollow that person. If squirrel videos make you smile, then follow squirrel pages. Don't be afraid to unfollow someone because "what will she or he thinks" Think about yourself first. Once again, I LOVE social media. But just like alcohol can be fucking delicious, I don't want to wake up every morning with a blackout and a massive headache. Physical health matters. So does your mental one. Hope that you enjoyed this #MindfulMonday post! <3 Always a pleasure to talk with anyone who feels like commenting on that!