Is Facebook Sabotaging Your Health Goals?

The popularity of social networking sites like facebook are on the rise, but is it possible that overusing social media can have harmful consequences? And more importantly, can social media actually be sabotaging your health goals?

Let’s explore both of these questions, and help you assess whether your social media habits could use an overhaul.

FOMO
FOMO - the fear of missing out. While we all occasionally experience this in our day-to-day lives, facebook only further feeds into your fear of being left out of the loop. Your need to stay connected is one of the reasons social media is so pervasive in the first place. You want to know what your peers are up to. An incredibly common phenomenon, FOMO can leave you feeling inferior to your peers and dissatisfied with your own life.

FOMO means that you are spending more time than you realize scrolling through your Facebook feed instead of putting forth the effort to enjoy and improve our own life.

This leads us into the next reason why facebook is more harmful than most people realize:

Envy
Facebook gives you a glimpse into the lives of your peers - the restaurants they eat at, the cars they drive, and the clothes they wear. It can be easy to fall into the trap of comparing your life to the image that people present on social media.

However, it’s important to remember that most people strive to present their best selves on social media.

It’s easy to post the good things and leave out the bad. So next time you find yourself envying one of your facebook friends, here’s a good tip: take a step back from the screen, take a deep breath, and write yourself a quick list of things you’re thankful for. There’s probably more things on there than you realize.

Addictive Screens
Let’s face it, spending too much time staring at a screen is just plain bad for your health. Spending a lot time on facebook or on the computer in general can cause serious health issues. From eye strain to bad posture to simply encouraging a sedentary lifestyle, these are all serious risks from spending too much time online.

Of course, like anything, moderation is key so if you can’t quite go cold turkey with social media, try to limit your time browsing social media.

Social media is a wonderful tool that allows you to stay connected in ways that you’ve never been able to before, but take some time to assess whether your social media habits could use an overhaul.

---

If you or a loved one have questions about this, or other health and wellness issues, get in touch, I’ll do my best to help.