Overuse of the internet and its effects on mental health
Last year, the BBC announced its development and launch of ‘Own it’ application. The launch promotes the usage of the Internet in a mentally healthy way. There are a few similar applications available to be used. Such application will reveal quite interesting information about your personal use of the internet and may help you plan a smarter use. The negative impacts of excessive use of the Internet have been a debatable matter for a fairly long time now. Social media offers several unique advantages. For instance, it enables us to maintain a one-to-one relationships with several people. However, critics believe that most of those relationships are superficial. Several experts believe that the overuse of the Internet can lead up to serious issues such as anxiety. We need to monitor the role of social media and excessive Internet usage in our lives and ask certain questions regarding its effects on our mental health. If I or any of my loved ones showed signs of excessive anxiety or depression because of the excessive usage of the internet, I would straightaway seek help for anxiety disorder near me.
The overuse of social media can lead to feelings of depression and dependency in some individuals. If that is the case, one should immediately seek help via Mental Health treatment support. The biggest problem with the overuse of social media is that it portrays an unrealistically happy version of lives that are less than perfect. It invites unhealthy envy and competition. The University of Copenhagen conducted a study that proves that many people suffer from “Facebook envy”. The feeling most definitely leads to a feeling of inadequacy. The more time you spend going through other people’s profiles, the more trapped you may feel. It may get to a point where you must seek help to keep your mental health intact.
Social media connects people virtually, but it also disconnects them in real-life. People spend more time reading screens rather than interacting with each other. The American Journal of Epidemiology published a study that involved 5,208 subjects. They concluded that regular use of Facebook had a negative impact on an individual’s wellbeing. Social media may cause unhappiness. It can lead to more serious health issues such as anxiety and depression. Spending too much on time on social media also affects sleep. The envy and anxiety from the overuse of social media keep the brain on a constant high alert, making it difficult for us to get proper sleep. The light emitted from our phones prevents the release of melatonin, which is a hormone that helps us feel asleep. It is advisable to prevent mobile phones at least 40 minutes before going to bed. The compulsive use of mobile phones has reduced the attention span of most individuals. The Internet offers entertainment and information on our finger-tips and its advantages make it dangerously attractive. It has the power to become addictive. It revolves around a circle of positive reinforcement that gets the participants completely hooked. If you believe that access use of the internet is harming your mental health, it is time to declutter. Instead of spending so much time aimlessly, one should select a few optimized activities that offer the greatest value. We should abandon technologies that provide no real value. The ones that are valuable should be allocated time according to their perceived value. Technology should serve a deeper value and a specific role in your life. One should also spend time alone. A certain bit of solitude is necessary to relax the body and mind. While solitude is important, it is also important to replace virtual interactions with real-life social interactions. The next step is to replace virtual activities with real-time socialization. One must replace virtual communication with real-life conversations. Taking time out for leisure is also a good idea. Leisure time should mostly make up of a physically demanding activity rather than mindless and passive consumption. Taking walks or getting yourself register for yoga classes is an excellent idea.
One could spend time to learn about new skills –which often provide opportunities to look at the world differently and meet people in reality. We will not build these habits over-night. They will require practice, determination, and time. Mental health is an issue that still requires a lot more attention and we already know that prevention is better than cure. However, if excessive use of the internet is getting to a dangerous point, it is a better idea to seek help from your local Mental health residential treatment facilities. Such facilities will help you overcome addiction systematically.
