Increased Screen Time: It's not all bad
In my last post, I talked about why social media, especially during this time of increased screen time and being stuck at home, can start to take a toll on our mental health, body image, and everything in between. Very gloom and doom stuff.
But social media isn’t all bad! I actually find a lot of benefits to being on social media. I think the obvious plus is that social media provides us with connections. During this time of forced physical isolation, it is even more important that we are utilizing technology to stay in touch with friends and family. Social media makes that easy.
But it’s so much more than keeping up with the folx we care about. When used mindfully, can have a very positive impact on our lives.
You can find a community of recovery-minded people. Most of these people you may never actually meet in real life, but they can become people we consider support systems, filling holes in the support systems around us. For those in recovery from an eating disorder, there are groups all over Facebook where people can seek advice, commiseration, or just validation. Two that I have found to be incredibly supportive and safe to ask questions, learn, and seek support are Intuitive Eating for Beginners and Health at Every Size (HAES). There are many more though. Clearly, they are all not safe and supportive. I recommend going back through some posts to see how people in the group speak to each other. Or observe for a bit before jumping in to get the vibe of the community. Finding the right community can be a great resource for validation, support, and a reminder that you aren’t alone in this journey. Additionally, COVID19 has called for the creation of additional online support groups and accounts. One that I really love is the Instagram account @COVID19eatingsupport It is run by eating disorder professionals all over the world and every hour a different person logs on and provides meal support by way of IG live.
You can expose yourself to the “other” or new ideas. Doing a social media purge is a great activity to do to protect your recovery, especially early on. Ridding your feeds of diet culture, accounts that make you feel bad about yourself, and anything toxic that is left. But the next step in this activity is my favorite part and is also probably the most important. Refilling your feed with people of different body types and pro-recovery accounts. Research shows us that when we expose ourselves to a variety of different body types, over time, we find a greater appreciation for our own bodies. Exposing ourselves to new ideas and representations of beauty expands our definition of beauty. Fellow therapist, Juliana Glaser, LMFT and I put together an Instagram account full of accounts to follow that we feel are good options to follow to support eating disorder recovery.
Social media can be a great creative outlet. Whether your creative outlet is art, cooking/baking, writing, or crafting, there is a home for you on social media. Share our art and poetry on Instagram. Follow others that do as well. Show off your newest creation in the kitchen. Or join a virtual crafting group, especially while we are still on lockdown. Show off what you are working on and be inspired by what others are creating.
Find your community of people with similar interests. Bookstagram. #catsofinstagram. Yoga every damn day. TikTok comedy. What is your interest? Social media can purely be a source of enjoyment and does not need to be challenging, recovery-focused, or goal-focused. Personally, the bookstagram community and the cat rescue community have become a pure source of happiness for me. Oftentimes, I skip my feed altogether and go directly to see what some of my favorite accounts have posted. They hit me in the feels and they make me happy. There are so many other things like this out there though. Find your joy and the community of others that share that same passion.
Social Media can cause a positive feedback loop. Trolling for likes isn’t particularly great for our mental health, but there is no denying that each like or positive comment we get, it releases a bit of dopamine. Yes, that dopamine release can become addictive and problematic, but when used mindfully, those likes and comments start to form a positive feedback loop. Recently, I posted a picture of me supporting small businesses while sporting my newest mask. I received a lot of positive feedback, despite feeling a little unsure about this new world where we wear facemasks to engage with the public. It encouraged me to feel a bit less self-conscious about wearing them. I got questions about where I got my mask and what businesses I was supporting, which hopefully opened the door for others to support their own favorite places and buy their own masks. By the end of the night, I felt pretty good about the whole interaction. And the next time I went out, I felt a little better about strapping that facemask on.
There’s no denying that social media can be problematic to our mental health. But vilifying it and turning it into something that should be avoided at all costs isn’t helpful either. There is so much good that can come from social media. While we are so isolated, especially during this quarantine period, social media can keep us connected to the world around us in more ways than one.
What are some of the positive things you have experienced with social media?
Concerned about how isolation is affecting your mental health? Wondering if counseling is right for you? If you would like more information or have questions about individual counseling, schedule a free 20 min consult here.
Embodied Self Counseling is located in Maplewood, MO. We work with clients struggling with eating disorders, body image, anxiety, gender identity, and life transitions in Maplewood and surrounding communities in the greater St. Louis area.