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Oct 9, 2024 · Social Media. Picture Perfect? Mental Health, Social Media, and Body Image. For mental health, what matters is how we use social media, not how much. Posted October 9, 2024 | Reviewed by Davia...
- Overview
- Social media and stress
- The Holidays and stress
- The double whammy of social media during the holidays
- How to avoid social media-induced FOMO during the holidays
- When to get help
- Takeaway
The holiday season can feel a bit inescapable.
Before smartphones and social media, it was possible to get away for a bit.
Go home, turn on a non-holiday movie or mixed tape (remember those?), and take a break from the idea that you’re supposed to be holly and jolly when you’re actually feeling anything but.
Nowadays, though, it’s challenging to tune out the holidays.
In 2022, sales at some Big Box retailers like Walmart and Target have started earlier than ever—as in the first four days of October.
Social media feeds are full of people heading out in flannels for UPick tree adventures. Families snap photos in perfectly-coordinated (but not quite matchy-matchy) Christmas sweaters. Holiday cards have professional photos.
There isn’t much research on social media use and stress during the holidays.
However, there is a growing body of data about how social media and the holidays, separately, affect our moods.
Research from 2017 showed that social media use was not an indicator of increased mental health issues and that concerns about social media use and stress were “misplaced.”
However, other studies contradict this.
A small 2018 study of 143 college students indicated that limiting social media use could lower feelings of depression and lonliness.
A 2021 Express VPN survey of 4,500 Americans and Europeans ages 16 to 24 suggested that 86 percent of respondents said that social media directly impacted their happiness. In the same survey, 81 percent reported social media impacted their feelings of loneliness, and 79 percent said the same about depression.
A 2015 National Alliance on Mental Illness survey suggested that 64 percent of respondents said they felt the “holiday blues,” with 24 percent saying “the holidays affect them a lot.”
Holidays blues may feel like:
•fatigue
•tension
•loneliness
•Isolation
Experts share that, combined, social media and the holidays don’t always go together like vanilla ice cream and warm apple pie.
“The holidays are a time for decorating, gathering, and spending time with loved ones,” says Amy Gooding, a clinical psychologist with Pathlight Mood and Anxiety Center. “It can also be a time when people feel lonely and isolated. Social media can amplify our emotions in many ways.”
Focus on your why
Taish Malone, Ph.D., a licensed professional counselor with Mindpath Health, says that the “reason for the season” will look different to everyone. She invites people to think about what they love about the holidays and where they can find joy before the season starts. Perhaps you love crafting and decorating. Others may enjoy seeing family from across the country, and some may look forward to quiet Christmas mornings with just a significant other. None of these feelings are wrong. Being confident in your personal values and feelings about certain types of holiday activities can minimize envy or comparison guilt if you see a friend doing the opposite. “Life is what you take from it,” says Malone. “Social media, like any and everything, reflects you. You can take what you need from it or what benefits you and release the rest that doesn’t serve you.”
“Social media, like any and everything, reflects you. You can take what you need from it or what benefits you and release the rest that doesn’t serve you.”
— Taish Malone, Ph.D. Was this helpful?
Revisit gratitude
Similar to reminding yourself about your values, practicing gratitude can help reframe the comparison and self-judgment often elicited by social media. “The holidays are a great restart for many to reestablish practices of gratitude, set personal goals, assess growth and lessons learned, and connect more,” says Malone.
Malone knows the holidays can be challenging. She says there’s no shame in seeking help during this time—or ever.
“I always advocate for seeking a professional counselor or therapist if you find that you aren’t adjusting well to life stressors,” she says. “Social media exposure symptoms are no different, especially during the holidays.”
You can find therapists through:
•family and friend referrals
•healthcare providers
•Insurance
Though there’s no hard data that social media makes the holidays more challenging, experts believe it can.
Constant notifications and images of friends having big parties or perfectly-snapped photo shoots can make people feel like they aren’t celebrating in the “right” way.
Still, there’s no “correct” way to spend the holiday, and it’s important to figure out what brings you joy. Creating priorities and boundaries can help you hone in on what’s important.
Ready for a calm and stress-free holiday? Check out Healthline’s Season of Self-Care, your go-to destination for the latest must-have health and wellness gifts for your loved ones – and you!
- Beth Ann Mayer
Oct 22, 2024 · Digital media can help children learn. But it’s important to balance screen time with other activities that support development, such as reading, playing outside, and interacting with others face-to-face. Our study emphasises that for digital media to form part of a well-rounded day, families should try to co-use it with their children.
Dec 16, 2022 · Holidays can be a lonely time where memories of pain and trauma remind you of just how different your experiences were in comparison to those who lived in the picture-perfect holiday.
Mar 1, 2023 · This study explored the online photo-sharing behaviour and motivation of present-day tourists while on holiday, and the gaze pursued in such endeavours.
Aug 23, 2024 · Virtual Christmas games are fun holiday-themed activities and challenges to play with teams on video conferencing platforms like Zoom, Skype, and Google Meet. The purpose of these exercises is to encourage team bonding and holiday cheer during December.
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Find out how Christmas can affect your mental health, and what you can do to support your mental wellbeing during the festive season.
