SOCIAL MEDIA

How much has changed as the years go by! Social media now is the main source of connection between both young and old. 

Being connected to others helps us to thrive in life, and the strength of our connections has a huge impact on our mental health and happiness.

Being socially connected to others can ease stress, anxiety, and depression, boost self-worth, provide comfort and joy, prevent loneliness, and even add years to your life. On the flip side, lacking strong social connections can pose a serious risk to your mental and emotional health.

Many of our youngsters in particular believe their whole live revolves around their smart phones and the social media connection. However it appears to have some major downfalls that many do not see.  Bullying can happen 24/7 and many of my young clients felt it was necessary to reply to a text in the early hours of the morning or else they would be bullied at school or college.  Others have used it to send inappropriate images to other users.  Often pressurised without understanding the consequences of such an action. 

In today’s world, it’s important to remember that social media can never be a replacement for real-world human connection. Ironically for a technology that’s designed to bring people closer together, spending too much time engaging with social media can actually make you feel more lonely and isolated—and exacerbate mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.

If you or your child is spending an excessive amount of time on social media and feelings of sadness, dissatisfaction, frustration, or loneliness are impacting life, it may be time to re-examine how this is for them or you.

Call me and we can chat about the best way to support your young person or you yourself going forward.