Following our very own , the Newspoint Team has gotten in touch with from the , and asked him a few questions that are currently on everyone’s mind.
This article was also compiled with the help of .
Q. You could say we’ve seen an increase in social media videos depicting social media users themselves giving their own commentary on what’s going on. Is this just a new creative outlet?
A. Finding ways of being creative may be a way to cope with boredom. However, there may be more to it than meets the eye.
Being creative involves being ‘in flow’, which is the state we get into when we are so engaged in a creative task that our sense of time disappears and we temporarily forget ourselves and our “internal chaos.”We forget about our bodies and our unhelpful thoughts disappear for a while. This allows us to disconnect from stress, express inner thoughts, and even meditate. This can help to ease situations like anxiety, depression, and pain and so enhance well-being.
Q. We are also noticing a lot of commentary on the situation that’s unfolding, which could be a source of reliable information, but can also not be. How we tell these two apart?
A. To evaluate the reliability of a media piece, several issues must be considered in relation to the subject and to the person who has presented the information. These are some guiding questions which need to be asked: Is the information current or is it based on outdated information? Is it related directly to the topic it discusses? Does it provide sources (references) for supporting ideas? Are these sources reliable e.g. an official medical organisation? Is the purpose of the information to inform, to persuade, to sell, or even to entertain? Finally, who is responsible for the information? Is an author or publisher listed at all? What is the agenda of the author? Ultimately it is important to double check information by not limiting oneself to one source.
Q. We’ve been told to harness social media whilst in self-isolation as it is a means to stay connected. But how far should we go? Is there a limit before it becomes too much to handle?
A. Today, we are lucky enough to enjoy a parallel online world that is just as authentic and involving as the real world. During situations like the current one, this ‘other’ world is simply lifesaving. It keeps us informed and more importantly it keeps us connected, thus alleviating loneliness. However, we have to be a bit careful since professionals have been warning us about the mental health risks associated with unhealthy internet use specifically social media. overload and over-involvement in the online world can lead to mental exhaustion and other mental health problems.
Some may experience the fear of missing out (FOMO), which refers to the feeling that one could have done something or been somewhere but missed out on this opportunity. Others may become addicted to social media use and spend most of the day scrolling through feeds. Some of us may be able to snap out of such mental states easily through an appeal to common sense. Yet others may find it more difficult to do so and, on a chronic basis, this may lead to lingering feelings of sadness, anxiety and demotivation. So we need to be mindful of our involvement in the online world - these are some tips that may help us to stay healthily connected:
- Schedule time to use social media and times to step away.
- Be clear about what your purpose is when logging onto a social media site and stick to it. This will also make sure you’re using social media the way you want – to connect with friends or get updates– without letting what other people are posting take over.
- Use other people’s posts as inspiration rather than comparison.
- Think before posting.
- Put your mental health first. Check in with yourself and if you’re feeling down, grab your phone and call a friend instead of going online.
Q. How does the lack of face-to-face interaction affect our mental wellbeing?
A. Although we interact with each other through the online world, most of us agree that it is not the same as an actual physical meeting. Mostly, this is due to the fact that during a face-to-face meeting, connectedness goes beyond the spoken word.
The experience of meeting someone physically involves an array of stimuli, which our senses engulf and react to, in an automatic manner.
In this view, when you are speaking to someone, you take in the way they look, their non-verbal communication such as posture and gestures and even the way they smell.
In our culture, we also tend to use tactile communication by touching the other’s shoulder or hand as we speak to them. This is all lost when one communicates non-physically and so one may be left with a feeling that there is something missing and that the interaction is somewhat incomplete. In the short term, this might make one feel unsettled whereas if such interactions are sustained, they can result in states of anxiety and sadness.
Q. What signs should we look out for in these videos that those who upload them and feature in them are doing okay, in terms of their mental wellbeing?
A. It is difficult to assess one’s mental wellbeing through a short clip and so this should not replace a proper professional assessment. However, one can refer to the absence of general signs that might indicate a deterioration in mental wellbeing. Some of these are:
- Excessive worrying or fear
- Communication feelings of excessive sadness
- Confused thinking or problems concentrating and learning
- Extreme mood changes, including uncontrollable “highs” or feelings of euphoria
- Prolonged or strong feelings of irritability or anger
- Avoiding friends and social activities
- Difficulties understanding or relating to other people
- Changes in sleeping habits or feeling tired and low energy
- Changes in eating habits such as increased hunger or lack of appetite
- Changes in sex drive
- Difficulty perceiving reality (delusions or hallucinations, in which a person experiences and senses things that don't exist in objective reality)
- Inability to perceive changes in one’s own feelings, behavior or personality (”lack of insight” or anosognosia)
- Abuse of substances like alcohol or drugs
- Multiple physical ailments without obvious causes (such as headaches, stomach aches, vague and ongoing “aches and pains”)
- Thinking about suicide
- Inability to carry out daily activities or handle daily problems and stress
- An intense fear of weight gain or concern with appearance
