Feeling lonely is often a perceived emotion rather than actual physical isolation. The feeling of loneliness can persist even when you are surrounded by a lot of people. In this digital era, social media has managed to bridge the geographical gaps but increased social distance.
We have molded our lives perfectly to fit into the digital world by making our presence on all platforms. We are connected with so many people worldwide but still feel disconnected from the ones near us. We sit together with family but we are constantly on our mobile phones checking the views and likes on our stories. We make plans to meet friends but end up just clicking pics for Instagram.
It is very easy to get caught up in this digital world and feel overwhelmed. Let’s understand how it can affect our mental health and ways to cope with it.
Mental Health Consequences
Despite geographical distance, technology allows us to make face-to-face connections, but spending too much time on apps can make us lonely and disconnected. Although technology has made our lives simpler, it has also become a cause of many mental health problems.
Depression and anxiety
In the race for likes, we constantly post content online, but one negative comment can leave us baffled for the entire day. And if you are a social media creator or celebrity you have to face constant trolling. This deeply affects the mental health of the person and may even lead to depression. The person may even quit social media forever and fear posting anything online ever again.
FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)
Although it is great to know what’s happening in your friend’s life, seeing those beautiful vacation and party pics can often make us feel left out. We also feel start feeling insecure and inadequate in our own lives.
Poor sleep quality
Remember when we were young our moms used to read stories or sing lullabies to make us sleep? Now that has been replaced by reels and shorts. We constantly scroll through our feeds until we fall asleep. This is very unhealthy as it affects our natural sleep and not to mention our eyesight. Inadequate sleep can end up making us feel agitated and angry at work.
Ways to Cope With the Loneliness
It is good to stay updated with the latest trends and connect with people beyond our geographical boundaries but we must also take time for ourselves. Here are some ways in which you can beat loneliness:
- Social Media Detox
Too much screen time not only affects your eyes but also your mental health. The digital world is flooded with content and the type of content you absorb directly affects your thoughts. Taking frequent breaks from social media can elevate your mental well-being.
- Spending Time With Nature
Nature is the best therapist and can heal you internally. Even a simple walk outside for 15 minutes can reduce your stress levels and anxiety. Going out hiking and trekking can be a refreshing experience and will help clear the clutter in your mind.
- Joining Social Groups of Interest
Remember when you were a kid and enjoyed painting, reading or doing something else that made you happy? We stop doing those things with age as we get busy with life. But those simple things and activities are vital to our peace of mind. And it is understandable that at times we just don’t feel like doing those things alone. In such cases, you might seek social groups with shared interests and passions.
- Get in Touch With Old Friends
We often get so tangled up in our lives that we are unable to take out time to even talk with our friends. We feel that the other person will call or text. And in this battle, social media always ends up winning. But it would really help if you made that call. You can let yourself out as you have that comfort with them and it really makes you feel light.
- Mindful Use of Social Media
We use various apps on a daily basis but have you ever checked the time spent on these apps? We pick up our mobile every 5 minutes to check notifications and end up scrolling for hours. Time is precious and must be used wisely. Setting time limits for apps can be helpful to cut down screen time. It will further enable us to use the app efficiently.
Find your balance
Technology was utilized to make our lives easier and more convenient, but we often fail to use it effectively, thus making our lives sad and lonely. Finding a balance between social and real life will help you stay happy and content.
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