Trying to find what’s real

Social media has changed all of our lives since its inception. Social media can be an incredible space to share ideas, let family and friends connect with what’s going on in our lives and can be a great way to keep in touch with those we don’t get to see very often. Despite all these positive aspects, for many people social media can become a problem in one way or another. 

One of the biggest challenges many people are confronted with is simply the amount of time they spend on their devices. For a number of people in many walks of life it is now essential to have a social media presence and finding a healthy balance can be difficult. Social media use can shorten our attention spans, contribute to negative body image and cause a lack of focus and productivity that affects our ability to work or study. What we all see on social media are carefully selected excerpts of other people’s lives, which we then naturally compare to the negatives in our own lives. Comparing oneself to other people is a sure path to anxiety, and social media has only made this easier to do. It can also encourage the experience that other people are engaging in activities that we want to be a part of but haven’t been included in. And while social media makes it easier to connect with others, it can also be an environment that enables bullying. 

Once we can start exploring some of the emotions and thoughts that our use of social media may be bringing up, we can begin to feel better. The first thing to begin focusing on is deciding the amount of time we want to be spending on our devices and setting priorities for how we really want to use our time. While things may look great on the surface, social media sites have a severe lack of authenticity and form unrealistic expectations of life and friendships in our minds. It’s crucial to open up to the realisation that what we see on social media is not the whole truth of people’s lives, and does not form an accurate representation of what’s really going on for others.