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

[geoff]

hi Paul, I've also been on it for a long time, sometimes it can be very useful, while other times when people say 'brushing my teeth and then off to bed', that's when I wonder why I'm still on it. Geoff.

[blondguy]

Hi Geoff and thanks for your view. It can be a useful tool for sure...no worries there. Maybe I was over checking at the time but before 'smart' phones existed I used to check my FB account everyday to see how much activity I had. Maybe I needed to get a life. Best. Paul

[CMF]

Morning Paul and Geoff,

i started using FB again a few years ago after getting rid of it. I had gotten rid of it because 'he' didn't like it, thought it was for people to hook up like a dating site. I was my choice to get rid of it as I didn't want him to think I would use it that way. Over the years I felt disconnected from family whom I don't see much. I started up again just to keep in touch with my family as my sister went overseas as did my nephew. I have a few people who are not family and only accepted their requests as I felt a little obligated. This can cause anxiety for some. I find it depressing when I see what a good time everyone is having, going out for dinner with partners, on holidays etc. I used to check it all the time, now I have stopped only checking now and then. Sometimes things that pop up in news feed cause anxiety too. I used to post on it more often but stopped cos why does everyone need to know every little thing? Maybe cos I was lonely, maybe for attention?

i keep my FB circle very small and add people only if they mean something to me. When I had it years ago I had ex work colleagues on there. People I didn't work with anymore and didn't socialise with. They weren't friends in the real world so why would I wNt them to see everything I do?

I now chose to spend time on the forums before FB. If not controlled FB can cause anxiety and depression IMO, especially if feeling a little lonely or down.

cmf x

[Questo]

Dear Paul,

I deleted my Facebook account and I have to tell you, I have not missed it.

Facebook used to make me more anxious and insecure. I like to at least feel some of the moment and space I am in and I felt Facebook disconnected me from that.

I don't think Facebook is bad in general, it was just bad for me.

I miss absent friends but that feeling is based on my actual interaction with them in real life. Their online avatars made me confused and yes there is too much information.

I have to admit, during the worst phase of my breakdown it was a godsend as I had no other forms of interaction. When I started to recover I realised that real social interactions were much more satisfying.

I found myself a bit addicted to Facebook towards the end and it became more of a hindrance than a help.

Thank you for you post:)

[MickeyM]

Hi Paul

I find Facebook a great distraction, but it can lead me to getting caught up on things that I probably shouldn't. There's a couple of comedy posts that I like to follow, but apart from that, I find that I really need to sift through content.

I hardly post anything about myself, certainly not that I'm brushing my teeth! But I did post when I washed my car, as that was an unusual event!

I think I'd rather connect with the guys here at the moment!

[CMF]

Just to add on to what Questo and MickeyM have said, yes when we feel we have no one it does help to have that interaction . Sometimes i will post something just because i have no one else to tell.

I do like that i get birthday messages from everyone rather than just 1 phone call from my sister. The previous owner of my local coffee shop sent me a friend request which i felt obligated to accept, he has over 2000 friends, very 'out there' sport of person. I felt obligated to accept because he suggested i put my terrariums in his shop to try and sell. When it was my bday last year i went in there as per usual and the staff wished me a happy birthday, as he had told them it was my bday, and the breakfast i had was on the house. It was really nice as i was feeling pretty crap and was not expecting anything.

Earlier this year a long lost cousin who now lives in the UK was out here for 6 months. we reconnected on FB, caught up a few times and because of him i also reconnected with other cousins i have not seen for quite a while, some i haven't heard from for 40 years due to a family rift but now we message each other when we want to and it is really nice.

I too would rather connect with the people on here atm. I log into FB a few times a week, have a quick look and log out.

[Banjoman]

Hello Everyone,

Personally I found FB overwhelming at times. Watching people I know progress through life with personal achievements, happy marriages, career advancements etc. I know this sounds petty but I could not help comparing myself to them. They say the grass is greener on the other side. Well it seemed my own grass would be on fire in comparison. I would end up getting upset about my own circumstances and this in turn would exasperate my negative intrusive thoughts cycles.

Although I am better now and I don't compare myself to other so anymore, I have recently stopped using it because I found myself using Imgur (an online image sharing community] and listening to Podcasts more.

My partner still uses it to upload photos, socialize and keep me informed.

[mw18]

I had to get away from Facebook after certain people used it as a way to make me feel left out and crappy. I was also getting anxious watching (what I didn't know where just) the best bits of other peoples lives unfold in front of me and feeling more than inadequate.

I still have my account, but now only really use it once every 2 or 3 weeks for about 5 minutes to see different photos etc.

It's the best decision I've ever made

[Doolhof]

HI All,

FB can certainly mean different things to a variety of people. I mainly use it to keep in touch with family and friends. I love to see the photos of the children growing up. Mostly I just look at the pictures and don't read everything.

I can well understand the negatives people feel with FB and the content. Some of us humans can be darn nasty no matter what kind of communication we are using.

If people need to tell me something, I ask them to use email or the phone. I don't want the whole world knowing my business.