Anxiety is a common feeling. If you’ve ever had to give a presentation in class, start a new job, or watched a scary movie, then you’ve most likely experienced it. Anxiety presents differently in everyone, but common symptoms are: a racing heart, feeling restless, tense, and trembling. One occasion that these feelings may arise is when you scroll through social media. Social media causes an increase in anxiety because it forces you to compare your life to strangers, and it forces you to want to present a picture-perfect life. Everything is never as perfect as it seems on social media.

President Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy”. Comparison doesn’t allow you to be happy with the life you have and social media attributes to this problem heavily. It’s almost impossible not to compare lives with the people we see on social media. You see someone posting their cool summer vacations, and you think to yourself “wow, I wish that was me”. These instances almost always lead to feelings of anxiety. Anxiety around self-productivity, self-worth, and around failure.

Part of the problem is that everything seems so attainable on social media. No one posts what they had to do in order to go on these vacations, or all the messed-up photos they had to take before they got the perfect one. It’s important to remember that there is always more to the story than what is presented on social media. Not only does social media force one to compare themselves to random strangers, but it also forces us to put up a veneer that makes it seem like life is perfect. Ironically, people often over compensate for their struggles in life by posting their perfect family photos — which can make the viewer feel worse! The people who are struggling the most usually post the happiest photos. They worry that people might uncover the truth, but that in itself is a lot of pressure to carry and therefore leads to more anxiety. Anxiety can be a vicious cycle, but the important thing is that it can be managed.

It’s important to remember ways in which we can mitigate the anxiety that arises from being on social media. According to UC Davis Health, “Prioritize in-person connections and activities to help improve your mental health”. Remembering that the connections we make in person are the ones that truly matter is key to having a healthy relationship with social media. Another great tip is to limit social media use. There are apps you can get on your phone that will make it so that you cannot access social media apps for whatever length of time you set. The less time we spend comparing ourselves to others, the better. The last tip is to block certain words or phrases from entering your feed. This will protect your peace and keep your anxiety at bay. If you sense that social media might be affecting your anxiety, know that you are not alone and that there is help.

Article written by: Paulina Barker “My name is Paulina Barker and I have a passion for mental health. I obtained my bachelors degree in psychology from California State University, Northridge and am currently in the process of trying to pursue my master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. My area of interest has always been eating disorders and body image. I believe everyone deserves to feel worthy and live in harmony with food. I’m one step closer to reaching my goals everyday.”