How to Use Social Media for Mental Health
Social media can be a wonderful, odd, stimulating, dangerous place. There are creative pages where people share wonderful artwork and prose, hostile echo chambers, places to find love, places to find business, and infinitely more.
There are so many sites and apps to use that we’re awash in choices. It can be easy to get carried away with our social media use as well, and spend too much time and effort in our virtual world. The good thing is that it can be what you make it. Today, let’s take a look at some ways that we can use social media for our mental health.
Our #1 tip is to curate what you take in. If you need to set content filters, do it. If all you want to see on Facebook is dendrology and kittens, then that’s your right. If horror movies are your thing, go for it. Take inventory of all the apps you use and evaluate which ones add value and light to your life.
Use social media to find and keep in touch with friends. This can involve some conversations with yourself about whether or not you want to use that channel to communicate with people you know. You might want to engage with your best friend over Instagram but not with Aunt Jenny, so you decide that Aunt Jenny might fit better in a family WhatsApp group. Just like with your content, you can use social media to curate existing relationships and find new ones.
Let social media encourage you to get out, if you are able. Using social media is an excellent way to find events, whether you go alone or with others. If you need to stay home, let the events come to you with video calls and live feeds.
Follow causes you care about. A good way to follow domestic and foreign activism, charity, international events, etc., is to use hashtags. You can follow the arts, scientific developments, whatever stimulates your mind in positive ways. Learn things! All the information in the world is at hand. If you have a special interest, social media is perfect for finding information and interactive groups around that interest.
Our therapists are intimately familiar with helping people engage in healthy ways. If you want to talk to someone, write to us on our website or call (585) 442-6960.
