As you scroll through Instagram, Snapchat, or any other social media platform, you keep seeing posts that display the “perfect life.” You start to feel “out of place” as you see more and more posts. Comparing your current situation to others creates stress and anxiety that linger within you. From perfect bodies to ideal lifestyles, these posts start to create a false reality. Social media is the culprit of many negative feelings including the fear of missing out (FOMO), dissatisfaction, and inadequacy. At its core, social media is a powerful communication tool that has changed the way people interact with each other. Today, social media platforms are a huge part of our daily lives. Although this tool provides efficient and rapid ways of communication, it can take a toll on the users’ mental health.

Knowing how to manage social media stress is key to making use of social media in a positive way. Practicing mindfulness is another key way to maintain a healthy self-esteem and social life. Mindfulness is a technique for living in the moment and living a judgment free life. This also helps you become more self-aware while scrolling through posts. “What we hear a lot about, especially from teenagers, is that when they’re scrolling through feeds they are often (consciously or unconsciously) comparing themselves to others. People tend to post the highlights — the perfect hair, the perfect friends, the perfect pre-gym selfie—and it’s fun to scroll through them,” says Rachel Ehmke from Child Mind Institute. While there is a fun aspect in scrolling through Tiktok or Instagram, it can also hurt you when your life doesn’t seem as perfect as everyone else’s looks. “…the satisfaction is often fleeting, and you can find yourself feeling like you’re just fooling everyone,” Ehmke continues. This can lead to you overanalyzing your posts and likes which will push you to look effortlessly perfect, regardless of how you feel. As you take the time to become more aware of your emotions though, you’ll be able to make better decisions and have a better mindset. 

Reducing the amount of time spent on social media can also drastically decrease stress and negative feelings created by social media. “I try not to spend too much time on my phone, especially with everything that is going on,” Erin Scheske, a student from Milford High School says. “I have noticed that it consumes much of my day and realized that I could’ve been doing something that is more beneficial,” she continues. This strategy is easier said than done when picking up your phone is second nature. Many of us will struggle with putting our phones down, even for just 15 minutes, but by taking baby steps and slowly decreasing the amount of time, this task will become easier. This can include taking occasional breaks rather than completely cutting social media off. Doing things in real-life can be a big stress reliever and make you feel better about yourself while scrolling through a feed will never do this. 

Social media has captured people in a whirlwind of a false reality. Though it is enjoyable to watch and scroll through posts, the stress and other negative feelings can overwhelm you. Keeping mindfulness and balance between real-life and virtual-life is key to happiness and a stress-free life.