Scroll. Click. Like. Scroll. Click. Like. Repeat…
Does this cycle sound familiar to you? Maybe it’s on websites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or other social media sites. We have everything at our fingertips these days with smartphones. The benefits include staying connected with friends and family, updates on current news and events, posting pictures of our interests… But what is it costing us?
Social comparison is cropping up more and more in my office, teens with anxiety who feel inadequate compared to their peers, young adults who fear their life transitions are abnormal because everyone else they see ‘seem to have it all together’, young moms who experience mommy guilt and shaming because they don’t have the time or energy to be a ‘Pinterest’ mom.
Social comparison can also increase the risk of substance use and abuse, decreased self-worth and self-value and increased symptoms of anxiety or depression.
Here’s a few things to put in place to curb social media comparison:
– Reduce time spent on Social Media, this may include deleting certain apps from your phone so you can only access them when on a computer
– Redirect time spent to other meaningful activities, such as reading, writing or being outside. (put a timer on your Instagram scrolls so they don’t take over!)
– Reflect on where the negative cognitions and thoughts stem from, this may be something therapy can help to increase self-worth and personal confidence.
For more information on social media and how it affects self-concept… click here!