Social media is a great way to keep in touch with your friends. You can share what you are up to, and they can do the same.

On social media you can play games, watch videos, listen to music or find out what is happening in your local area.

But have you thought about how it might make you feel spending so much time on social media? What difference is it making to your mental health?

Here are just a few things that you might find yourself experiencing if you use social media too much.

Information Overload

There’s no closing time on social media. People keep posting every minute and every hour of the day.

And there’s not a lot of control over what people are allowed to say, or what you might see when you go on.

That can leave you feeling stressed as you try to keep up with everything. Your phone might be pinging notifications at you every few minutes. Or you might feel anxious at some of the bad news stories being shared.

Time to take a break and do something else.

Comparing Yourself To Others

It’s very easy to look at what other people are sharing on social media, then compare it to how you feel, look, or what you have.

And if you don’t like what you see, or you wish that you had what they had, your confidence might take a knock.

Remember though, it’s easy to make your life look fantastic on social media. It doesn’t always mean that it is true. In fact, sometimes people exaggerate or put things up to hide the fact that they are actually unhappy.

You are perfect the way you are. Just be you.

Feel Like You Are Missing Out

As you scroll through your social media, you see pictures of your friends having fun. Then you realise it is from today. And you weren’t invited.

Social media can often make you feel left out. It might be because you didn’t know something was happening. Or it could be that you feel that everyone else is doing a lot of things and you’re not. Which probably isn’t true – you do lots of things but don’t post about them.

So close social media, and give your friends a phone or a visit, then do something together. Whether you post about it later is up to you.

Sleep

It’s really important that you get enough sleep. It helps your body rest, and your brain do what it needs to before the start of a new day.

Looking at social media on your phone just before you go to sleep can sometimes stop your body from getting what it needs to relax you and let you doze off. And that means you are more likely to be tired, grumpier and unable to focus the next day.

We’ve got more on sleep in the links at the bottom of the page.

Speak Don’t Scroll

Some research on how social media affects your mental health have found that it often relates to how you use the platforms. If you spend time just scrolling through posts without really getting involved, it can leave you feeling unhappy and unsatified.

But using social media to communicate with others or create something and posting it, can often have a more positive impact on your wellbeing and happiness.

Focus your social media use and see what difference it makes to you.

The Perfect Picture

It’s great to get a picture or a short video to share on social media. Make some memories.

But don’t spend all your time on your phone trying to record or capture the perfect video or picture. Grab one then enjoy the moment. You’ll feel better when you do, and your memory will be an even happier one.