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What is Social media anxiety? · Wellbeing Solutions - Ask A Counsellor

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Social media anxiety is a growing feeling and a feeling of stress or worry or nervousness that comes from using platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Talk, Snapchat, and Facebook.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: While these platforms are revolutionary in helping us stay connected, they can also make us feel pressured to present a certain version of ourselves.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: So if you check in your phone repeatedly to see how many likes or comments you've got, or you've compared your life to someone else's like perfect photos and wondered why yours doesn't measure up, these are common signs of social media anxiety.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: One of the main aspects of that is comparison.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: People usually post the happiest moments, biggest achievements, and best-looking photos.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: We rarely see the underlying struggles, failures, or ordinary parts of their life.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: As a result, we compare our everyday reality to someone else's highlight rail, which can lower our self-esteem and make us feel as though we're not good enough.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: There is also the exacerbation of loneliness, which is a social problem.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: So seeing a lot of friends hanging out together and having this constant exposure can increase feelings of loneliness and inaccessibility.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: Social media also exposes us to a constant stream of bad news and it's very curated.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: Every day we see stories about wars, natural disasters, violence, and other upsetting events.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Although it's important to stay informed, seeing negative news over and over again can have a detrimental impact on our nervous systems.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: Our nervous system is designed to react to danger, so when we're constantly exposed to stressful content, our brains can remain in a heightened state of alert.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: This can make us feel more anxious and reactive and drained and affect our sleep and ability to relax.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: Social media can also create pressure to always be available, which can then lead to overstimulation.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: Most people feel as though they must reply to messages instantly or keep posting regularly to stay relevant.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: Over time, this pressure can become mentally exhausting.