- How to know if I'm addicted
- Health problems that can be caused
- How to use social networks without harming health
The excessive and abusive use of social networks like Facebook can cause sadness, envy, loneliness and dissatisfaction with life, while the addiction is fueled by the fear of being left out or of losing something. The accumulation of these negative feelings can cause psychological problems such as excessive stress, anxiety or depression, which is a problem for people who use the social network more than 1 hour a day.
Depression is a psychological disease that at first can be silent, as the main symptoms that arise include constant and unreasonable sadness, excessive tiredness, lack of energy, forgetfulness, loss of appetite and sleep problems such as insomnia. On the other hand, excess stress can cause palpitations and anxiety causes shortness of breath, wheezing and negative thoughts.
How to know if I'm addicted
It is important to know when to be addicted to social media and therefore you should be aware of the following signs:
- If you are anxious or if you have palpitations just thinking about being without internet or cell phone; Keep looking at your posts all the time to know who liked or who commented; Have difficulty staying a dinner or lunch without looking at the phone; whenever you leave you need to comment or have to put a photo on the social network; if any social network has had negative effects on relationships, studies or work; use social networks to forget about personal problems.
These behaviors tend to affect more teenagers, people with low self-esteem, introverted, with few friends or who have recently ended relationships, so it is very important to be well aware of addiction, especially in these situations.
Health problems that can be caused
Be it Facebook , YouTube , Twitter , Instagram , Reddit , Tumblr or , the excessive and abusive use of any of these social networks can cause several negative feelings such as:
- Sadness, envy and loneliness; Dissatisfaction with life and feeling incomplete; Rejection, frustration and anger; Concern and revoltBoredom and revulsion for the lives of others.
In addition, addiction to social networks can also cause a feeling known as the fear of being left out or the fear of losing something, from the English “ Fear Of Missing Out - FOMO”, which increases the need to continue updating and consulting the social network. Learn more about FOMO.
These feelings can vary from person to person, but they end up severely affecting mood and mood, changing the way a person views life.
In more severe cases, these feelings can even lead to the emergence of psychological disorders such as depression or anxiety, for example.
How to use social networks without harming health
When using social networks, the important thing is to use these platforms sparingly so as not to harm your health. Thus, some rules to follow not to abuse include:
- Do not consult the social network all the time; When it is time for lunch, choose to chat with colleagues and do not have lunch while looking at social networks; When going out or having lunch with friends, turn off social networks on your cell phone and enjoy the company; stipulate short periods of the day to look at social networks; if you are feeling any emptiness, sadness or depressive feelings, go out for a walk or arrange a little program with a friend or family member; when going out with your friends, take pictures for you and not just to post on social media.
Also, remember that social networks often only show the best moments of your friends' day, leaving out their frustrations, sadness and less good times than the days that are normal. So it is very important to be aware and learn to differentiate between simple sadness and depression that needs medical monitoring.
For those who are recovering from depression, it is important to put aside social networks and invest your time in their recovery and treatment. Social networks can end up aggravating feelings of sadness and loneliness, and preventing relationships and interactions with other people that are essential to recover from this disease. In addition, consumption of foods rich in serotonin such as spinach, bananas, tomatoes and nuts can help you get out of depression by completing treatment. See 7 foods that help you get out of depression faster.
