Mind Your Mind: How social media affects your mental health
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“In psychology, there's what we call screen exposure addiction." - Dr. Richtofen de Jesus
It's no surprise that we're all addicted to social media as the platforms were designed with exactly that as its end goal.
So as Instagram rolls out a new feature that prevents users from seeing how many 'likes' a post has, Isabelle Daza asks what impact this move will have on our mental wellbeing, with the help of psychologist Dr. Richtofen de Jesus.
“Filipinos are very social individuals -- we don't want to be left out,” Dr. de Jesus says in Daza's latest vlog.
“We want to jump into the bandwagon and be a member of that. Now, when Facebook opened up, everyone wants to be a part of it.”
As the term implies, social media's main purpose is to connect you with people and interact with them in the digital age.
And for Dr. de Jesus there are two sides to this story.
“What happens here is that we now try to identify ourselves with the people that we follow. We now want to achieve a level or status that they are experiencing.
Then starts a cycle of self-doubt ... you now become a little bit more annoyed with who you are and you don't become satisfied with what you have and the depression will settle in.
“Sometimes it can be a little bit positive it can motivate you a little bit harder. But sometimes it can also develop a lifestyle that you cannot sustain.”
As the interview progressed, Isabelle asked if phone addiction is a real mental health issue.
To which the doctor replied, “Oh, absolutely.”
“In psychology, there's what we call screen exposure addiction.
“From a biological perspective, we have a part in our brain that is called the limbic system that gets a little bit stimulated [when we get likes].
“Because of that sudden surge of happy hormones we then feel so relieved and so happy that we try to repeat it as much as we could.”
So how do we overcome the pressures of social media?
Firstly, Dr. De Jesus suggests accepting you have a problem.
“Here's what I always tell my patients, 'You're suffering right now that's why you're talking to me. How long would you like that suffering to continue for yourself? How long are you willing to endure that kind of distressing feeling that you have right now?'
“When they say na, I want to let go of this feeling right now. Then okay, then start it.”
Second, is to always post with intention and understanding what your motivation is for that certain post.
And for everything else, it's simply mastering the art of "dedma."
“Whenever you need to post something, take out the idea that it has to be something palatable for others. Rather, you're going to post it because it was a part of the good experience that you had.
“Now whenever people comment, you can read it, you can understand it, you can try to imbibe it if you want.
“But at the end of the day, this is what you tell [yourself], 'I do not have any control over what they think, it's their opinion. At the end of the day, it is me who knows the truth about who I am and that is what I'm going to believe in.”
Watch the full video:
Happy disconnecting!
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