Facebook...The Good or the Bad...Your Say!

[blondguy]

Hi Everybody

Without a doubt Facebook is one of the best social media sites. I have been on FB for a long time and found it invaluable yet very stressful at times whilst having anxiety and/or depression or even just checking it every day.

Your views on FB, its impact on your mental health, well being, whether good or not so good are more than welcome.

Thankyou for reading my thread topic!

my kind thoughts

Paul

[blondguy]

Hi Everyone.....RX...Tams20 and Lici!

Tams20.....That is a perfect method of being kind/gentle to yourself and good on you! 🙂

Tams20 mentioned "I had a Facebook ‘cleanse’ over the weekend, my friends list is now down to 77, I switched off notifications, unliked a heap of pages and left most of my groups. I also snoozed a few annoying friends and relatives"

Brilliant move!

Paul

[Tams20]

Hi Paul,

I’ve had a bit of a Facebook relapse... still not as bad as I was before, but I can feel myself slipping back into my old bad habits... it’s like an addiction... the FOMO is a hard habit to break!

How is everyone else handling their presence on social media?

Tams

[Lici]

Hi Tams,

My fb use is the same as always, although I really shouldn't be scrolling through at the moment because I'm supposed to be studying for exams. Seeing the bird, landscape and astrophotography pictures is calming though so it's good for my current stress levels.

What habits do you feel yourself falling into? If you know you're falling into them then it should be easy enough to stop them 😊

My best friend sometimes deactivates her Facebook when it's getting too much for her. She logs back in eventually but every so often she'll take a break. Maybe this might be something that would help you?

Kind regards,

Lici

[blondguy]

Hi Tams20 and always great to have you on the forums 🙂

Despite anxiety/depression I am a strong person yet I found that I was checking FB everyday...

Tams20 mentioned "How is everyone else handling their presence on social media?

Hey Lici...great to see you and thankyou for the helpful post too!

Lici mentioned " My best friend sometimes deactivates her Facebook when it's getting too much for her. She logs back in eventually but every so often she'll take a break. Maybe this might be something that would help you?"

Maybe I had too much happening at the time.....I dont miss it though....just my humble opinion as many people find it a great way to touch base with their friends

Thankyou Tams20 & Lici 🙂

Have a great week

Paul

[Lici]

Hi Paul,

Good to see you too 😊

I'm just wondering (as it makes me curious) what did you find was the problem with looking at Facebook everyday? Was it the friends you had on your friends list and therefore the stuff that they posted? Or was it the pages you liked and the stuff on your wall from there?

I find it difficult to understand how people have negative experiences with something they have full control over. I'd love to actually do a study on it for my psychology honours or even phd or masters because the psychology behind it would be fascinating.

Everything on my fb is there because I want it to be. Anything that ends up annoying me gets removed, snoozed or unfollowed, therefore, (apart from the political things that I have there to keep up to date as I don't watch tv and therefore don't watch the news) everything on my feed is a positive thing. I guess that's why I find it hard to understand people's negative experiences.

Unless it's to do with the amount of time spent on fb that's the negative experience because it's not productive? It's definitely an interesting topic!

I hope everyone has a good day 😊

Kind regards,

Lici

[AndyR]

Hi Paul

just found this thread and the title grabbed me for Facebook: the Good" part. You have such good threads!

I've had about a decade of chronic anxiety/depression and for much of that was extremely isolated and disconnected. Then a friend in the UK (who I've only ever known through the internet via fa fan fiction writing site) made a suggestion that changed my life. Never having been to Australia, and knowing my interest in photography she suggested I take a photo a day and post it on Facebook so she could see my world. She asked me to write a sentence or two to accompany each pic. I thought it would last a day, then a week; then perhaps a month. Yesterday was day 903. Every day for 903 days without missing.

Through it all I've rebuilt connections with people who I'd withdrawn from, so that they are back in my world, not just the cyber world of social media but the real world of physical presence. I've shared my journey through my photos and my stories. I've had encouragement, nurturing comments, even praise at times when it was so needed. At my lowest the fb presence inspired a friend to pull together a group of people who have become my living safety net through their practical hands on help.

A few days ago on day 900 I posted a self-portrait, something that has become a tradition on 00 days. To look back over the self pics on each of the 00 days is to see the progress of my journey - I'm now starting to refer to it as recovery. What I get on those days is incredible support and encouragement. Indeed it happens on many days. And the truth is it - those likes and comments - sustains me when I have days where I see or speak to no-one.

So for me Facebook has been a life saver, and I mean that literally. When there was no light it gave me a thread to hang on to, and as my journey has progressed it has shown me opportunities that I may not have otherwise been aware of, activities I could become involved with, groups where I shared interests. And, by having to take a photo a day, I have had something to focus on that gave me a purpose when I felt I had none. Such a little thing with such a huge impact. My psych considers it 'officially' part of my therapy now!

And what is nice is that purpose is enriched by the enjoyment others seem to get from the pics. I'm still going with it - 1,000 seems like a nice goal.

I suppose my purpose in telling this is to pick up on the good side of social media. It did help save my life.

regards

Andy

[Tams20]

Hi everyone,

Andy - I love that idea! But it intimidates me for two main reasons... 1. Because to do it properly I would have to reveal things about myself that I don’t necessarily want others to know... and 2. I’m worried that it would highlight just how many of my Facebook ‘friends’ don’t care what I’m doing or how I am... to post something and have very little or no likes could set me back a very long way in my recovery... I’m already pretty insecure about my friendships... but I might try it. I’m no photographer though...

Lici - I took control of my Facebook a while back but have slipped backwards in some respects... and after not being on it much I’m starting to get on there more frequently... just need to take hold of the reins again...

Paul - I don’t think I’m ready to let go of it entirely, as I do use it as a way to keep in touch with family and old friends...

Tams

[Lici]

Andy: I loved reading your experience! The photo challenge sounds like such an amazing idea. I already overload mine with photos from my photography outings so it's not something I'd do myself, but it's such a wonderful idea!

Tams: With the photography idea, to me sharing my pictures isn't so much about people clicking like etc, I like to think of it as putting something different on their feeds. I take bird, landscape and even photos of the milky way and mushrooms. I don't get many likes of them, but I do get people on my friends list who I might see occasionally and they always comment that they love seeing my photos. So no likes doesn't always equal people not caring.

In regards to the time thing, maybe you could set yourself a time limit for going on there? I try to limit myself during the day to study smoke breaks etc so I don't procrastinate too much. Maybe this sort of thing could help you as well? There's also programs for the computer and for your phone that you can get that block social media access to help with focusing that could be an option too if you really find it difficult to stay off.

Hope everyone is having a good night 😊

Lici

[blondguy]

Hey Everyone

Hey Lici....thanks for posting and for asking about daily checks on FB. I just found it difficult for myself as the 'friends' werent really friends...only acquaintances. Maybe it could have been due to my anxiety at the time but I found it 'unfriendly' despite having full control of the platform.

I just found it weird that not one of the 30 directors/CEO's of FB had an account. I think its a great social media tool for many people. The amount of personal information that is required is excessive for me. When you have a moment google 'how do I delete my FB account' An interesting read

Hey AndyR! Thankyou for the inspirational post (as usual).....you have just provided me with some serious reasons to sign up again with the good points you have mentioned......I will give it some serious thought especially after the value you have found in it...Thankyou heaps

Hey Tams20...thankyou for helping me out with the positive like AndyR and Lici have....Its really good to have your voice here too 🙂

You guys are amazing....and thankyou

Paul

[Chloe_M]

Hi Paul and everyone else

First I'd like say Paul this is a great thread, such an interesting topic. I think that FB and social media in general can affect our mental health in good and bad ways.

For example, I don't have any social media but by this afternoon I will have Instagram, Snapchat and possibly Facebook. Up until now I was not allowed to have these apps, but my psych thinks that it affects my social life greatly and therefore my mental health. Namely, it makes my anxiety worse and increases the already large fear of being judged and of what people think of me. I think, and so does my psychologist, that it will improve my confidence and make me feel more accepted etc.

On the other hand, cyber-bullying can affect your mental health greatly. It is so, so easy to get caught up in drama or as us young people call it 'beef' and it is nowhere near as easy to get yourself out of the mess as it is to get into it.

So, what do you guys think? Should people suffering from a mental illness have social media? Should people even have social media, MI or not?

Can't wait to see what you guys think!!

x Chloe