Social Media & Anxiety- How Online Therapy Can Address Social Media Related Anxiety:
Social media is everywhere. Everyone has access to social media accounts within reach of their own pockets. Social media has expanded from Facebook and Instagram as well to TikTok videos and snapchats. We are more connected than ever, or are we? Most people with social media will surely tell you that social media can create anxiety in how we live our lives and how we construct reality. This article will talk about how getting therapy can be helpful in addressing social media-related anxiety.
1. Therapy can help you identify your patterns of behavior
One thing that we know about social media is that we get some gratification from posting on social media pages and seeing “likes” pop up in our notifications. Social media is designed to release dopamine which is linked to doing activities like engaging in social interactions, attending a favorite concert, or enjoying a good meal. We can get addicted to the activity of scrolling through the media. Social media can make us feel great with “likes” or awful if we compare ourselves to others. We never know for sure how we are going to feel on any certain day when we scroll through social media. Knowing that the outcome of how we will feel is more unpredictable actually keeps us going back to it because of that potential for getting rewarded. You and your therapist can start to map out the pattern that you experience from engaging in social media. Then once you and your therapist engage in that they can help you with finding ways to disrupt the pattern to help with any anxiety symptoms that you experience from engaging in social media.
2. Therapy can help you gain more compassion and confidence in yourself
Something that social media can get us to start doing is comparing our lives next to the lives of our friends and family based on what is posted. A lot of what we see on social media is based upon what others want their friends and family to see not reality. Social media can also be a way to gain praise and compliments. There is nothing wrong with gaining praise from others but it’s also important that you get that from other places as well. Your therapist may work with you to help you strengthen how you can be more self-compassionate and self-confident through mindfulness practices.
3. Therapy can help you find healthy coping skills
Social media can be used as a distraction. Distraction can be both a helpful and not-so-helpful skill. Therapy can help you to find different ways that you can distract while also learning how to “fill up your own cup” at the same time. This may include helping you to find a new hobby. Therapy also helps to address feelings and emotions that you may be finding yourself distracted from in a safe environment.
You should know that your therapist would never force you to talk about something that you feel like you are not ready to talk about. But your therapist may challenge you to think deeper about your reactions and why you engage in certain behaviors. Some coping skills may include leaning into the emotions you’re trying to distract from by gaining more curiosity about them. Being more open and curious about your feelings is more helpful than shaming yourself for having feelings and emotions.
Begin Online Therapy in North Carolina
Are you ready to see if therapy would be helpful for you? Here at Inward Counseling, we see individuals, and couples that are looking to heal from their anxieties and depression. You can start your therapy journey with your team of caring therapists by following these simple steps:
Reach out to us to get more information about how you can start.
Meet with a caring therapist
Start coping with depression symptoms and receive the support you deserve
Other Services Offered With Inward Counseling
Anxiety therapy isn’t the only service our team offers. We know that you may experience more than one mental health concern at a time. This is why we are happy to also offer therapy for depression, couples, family, and EMDR. We also offer trauma therapy and Christian counseling. Visit our blog or about page to learn more today.