Is Social Media Increasing Anxiety in Women?
Today, we are sharing this blog space with Alexia Eller, LMSW. Alexia is a mental health therapist and advocate. She is passionate about helping her clients live healthy and full lives. Today she is taking the time to discuss the impact of social media on the mental health of both teens and adults. Let’s learn with Alexia!
As a woman, how many times do we get on social media and start looking at the celebrities, social media influencers, and athletes on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok and wonder how they got to be where they are, why they are so fit and you aren’t, why are we not pretty like them? The answer, I feel, is endless for women.
Social media seems to be the annoying pestering little brother that wants you to play with him and when you open up the apps, you seem to feel less fulfilled and more anxious because of the comparisons you create in your head.
In the published journal by Sophia Manuguerra (2023), it talks about the amount of time that an average person spends on social media or how they use it as a normal part of their daily routine to just wake up and scroll through messages, and posts or what hot gossip is going on in your neighborhood. A question was brought up about how social media trends have affected the mental and physical health of women in the last decade and she does bring up the point of how body positivity of all body types has been more included and showing self-acceptance. However, what is your first thought? Do you seem to care about the fact that others are viewing different skin tones, ethnic backgrounds, differences, weight, or anything else in a positive manner?
I can tell you that my anxiety skyrockets if I spend too much time on social media looking at how pretty Blake Lively is and how I would love to have hair like her or how smart Emma Watson is and I aspire to be book smart like that. All the captions, hashtags, and ongoing social media trends may be appealing to the eye, but can have immense influence over an individual’s ability when they interact with others and also how they view themselves.
So friend, how can we try to notice that our anxiety or racing thoughts are impacting us when we are on social media? I would recommend allowing yourself to not get on your phone first thing in the morning, enjoy a cup of coffee and wash your face, or take a nice morning walk with your furry friend. Second, only get on it if you have the majority of your day planned out for work or school. Third, set a restriction on yourself to only get on social media for possibly 2-3 hours a day. Phones now have the ability to let you know about the percentages you spend on certain apps, so utilize that and lower your anxiety by less social media.
If you want to continue to explore your thoughts on this topic, feel free to reach out to me or other members of the team to help you implement boundaries and learn some ways to combat your anxiety. Whether online therapy, in person at our Arlington, TX base therapy office, or through group therapy, we have options to meet your needs. Connect with a member of our team today.
