Latest / Life Lived Better / Mental Health Moment 8: The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health

Transcript

Mental Health Moment 8: The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health · Life Lived Better

• 0:11
  Hello there, and welcome to a mental health moment from the
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  Life Live Better podcast. This is the place we take just a
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  couple of minutes to care for our minds.
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  I'm Paula, and in this episode we're talking about the impact
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  social media has on mental health.
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  Social media can be an incredible tool.
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  It's pretty cool. It lets us stay connected.
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  It helps us learn new things and even find communities where we
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  feel understood and we belong. But like most things, it comes
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  with a flip side. And sometimes that flip side has
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  a real impact on how we think and feel.
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  One of the biggest challenges is just that constant comparison.
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  As we scroll and scroll and scroll.
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  Often what we're seeing is everyone else's quote UN quote
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  highlight reel, while what we're living behind is behind the
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  scenes, you know, our real life. Even when we know that posts are
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  curated and filtered and captioned to perfection,
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  sometimes it's hard not to measure ourselves against those.
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  And over time, that can really chip away at self esteem and
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  increase those feelings of inadequacy.
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  And then there's this issue of information overload.
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  There is an endless stream of news, opinions and updates, and
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  that can leave us feeling very anxious and mentally scattered.
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  And let's be honest, our brains were not designed to process
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  that much stimulation in one day.
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  There's also the time factor. Some folks spend hours scrolling
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  and that can kind of quietly replace the very thing that
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  support our mental well-being, like sleep, real life,
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  connection, movement, and rest. But here's the good news, and
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  there is good news. Awareness gives us power.
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  A healthier relationship with social media doesn't require
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  that we delete every app, It just requires setting
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  intentional boundaries and sticking to them.
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  A couple of steps that can help is to set specific times to
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  check your your social media feeds instead of just hopping on
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  and off all day long when you're bored or they like it.
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  Also, curate your environment. Follow the accounts that will
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  inspire you and support you and educate you and mute and
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  unfollow those that drain you or leave you feeling frustrated.
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  Also, notice how you feel after you scroll.
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  If it leaves you really tense and sad or overstimulated, your
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  body might be telling you it's time for a break.
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  Social media, like most things, isn't all good or all bad.
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  It's all about how we use it and you deserve a digital space that
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  supports your mental well-being, not steals from it.
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  Thank you for joining me today on another mental health moment.
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  Protecting your peace online is an act of self-care in the real
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  world. The Life Live Better podcast.
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  Thank you for joining us. And until next time, take care
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  of your mind because it's the only one you've got.
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  And don't forget that knowledge leads to a life lived better.
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  The Life Live Better Podcast is your journey of self discovery,
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  well-being and personal growth. We bring you a new episode every
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  other Thursday and this short version on the alternating
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  Thursdays. We love our listeners and
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  appreciate your support. Consider downloading each
• 3:47
  episode rating and reviewing the podcast, following us on social
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  media platforms. You can also find
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  ourwebsite@lifelivedbetter.net.