Social Media and Mental Health

Photo taken by my spouse of the Himalayas, India

 

The ripples of water, the hills, the greenery, and the sand; isn’t it a great view? This is how I imagine peace within myself. How do you imagine peace in your head? So far, we all know the risks of social media on teenagers, which are privacy concerns and cyberbullying. Therefore, social media have caused a lot of stress, depression, trauma, and many other mental health issues. Opposite to the negative impacts of social media, there are a lot of advantages. I will discuss how you can use social media to reach out to teenagers to create mental health awareness.
USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA FOR CAMPAIGNS

I was searching on Google about the advantages of social media in a teen’s life. It was difficult to find any relevant information regarding this topic. Some of the search words I used were: campaigns for mental health, or social media and mental health. The only information that came up was about campaigns used to promote awareness for physical illness, not psychological issues. Later, I tried to search for mental health issues in adolescents. I was amazed at an exceptional amount of research provided about mental health issues in teenagers. In my teenage, which was ten years ago, I was unable to find this much support on social media for my mental health issues. I faced a lot of challenges such as Depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Anxiety. Since my family just arrived from India, which has a conservative background, my parents had a hard time understanding my mental health issues. Due to the mindset they carried in Canada, there were always differences in our culture, adaptation, and understanding. When I went to university, this was the first time I heard that I am facing anxiety issues. I used to be in watersheds when I would visit my professor for the stress I was facing academically. I was doing a very tough program: BScN at Algonquin college collaborated with the University of Ottawa. I am sure you must know how tough these honors programs are. I was an intelligent student, but the expectations put on me to become a doctor made me nervous daily. My friends used to call me out of my residence room to spend time with them, but I always refused. I did not realize how much pressure I was putting on myself. I never admitted that I face anxiety issues until now. Now, I just looked at this website, and I am stunned how much progress the schools have done. There is mental health awareness in all sorts of social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and much more. The webpage http://teenmentalhealth.org/live/ has set up events all over Canada to spread the knowledge of mental health issues. On the Twitter page, events such as Mental Health Academy by Teen Mental Health society is being publicized to increase the participation of teenagers in this event. This event will help educators to teach the audience about adolescent mental health issues. The Twitter page is a great example of how social media is being used to aware teenagers about the events happening in the community. The Twitter page of Teen Mental Health is also a great place of an online support created for teenagers to enhance their knowledge about mental health. This creates a stronger support system for teenagers to fight together against the issues they are facing.

Overall, the campaign awareness through social media is the best way to get the society involved. It also helps teens learn new ways on how to manage their issues so they can have a peaceful mindset. The first step to help the teenagers is by finding more mental health issues’ groups online, getting involved in the campaigns, and educating ourselves. Lastly, social media must be used to create awareness so we can save the next generation from self-harm. If we acknowledge these issues are real and not just another bad day in our teens’ lives, we can just save another life. After all, it’s all about to raise awareness, and be there for them!

Facebook: Check out the new era : Social media to help the teens fighting depression, anxiety and so on… https://bit.ly/2IHDERu

Twitter: Mental Health support system for teenagers all found online #raiseawareness https://bit.ly/2IHDERu

REFERENCES:

“Mental Health Academy”, Twitter, https://twitter.com/mhacademyca

SOCIAL MEDIA AND RELATIONSHIP PROBLEMS

 

Enjoying the natural beauty with my husband

I want to start by asking you a question, What is a Romantic Relationship? According to Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, the Romantic relationship is a connection between two people driven by love or sexual attraction (Wikipedia, 7 May 2019). Social media such as Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Snapchat are becoming a great way to stay connected with the ones you love. These are also a great way to have a stable long distance relationship if you are in one! But, have you ever wondered what sort of issues it also brings in a relationship? Have you ever wondered where your romantic relationships are leading in today’s world due to social media? Is it leading toward a destructive affair or a very positive one? Let’s find out.

Past vs. Present

Let’s say that you fall in love very deeply, but you find your partner liking their ex’s photo on Instagram. Would you confront them about it or just not bother asking? I have been in these situations myself. And let me tell you one thing, it only leads to many continuous fights. If we were not mature enough, we would have been apart, but we decided to get married. We spend valuable time together every weekend. We go for long drives, take photos of scenic beauty like the one shown above and, always keep our phones away.

According to the article on Psychology Today, social media can have many negative impacts on our real-life relationships. The problems social media can create are jealousy from your ex’s posts, oversharing posts decreasing the quality of real-life relationships and spending less quality time with your partner. These problems are affecting the quality of our real-life interactions with the ones we have in front of us. The daily interactions online with the ones we haven’t seen in a while are affecting our present romantic lives. It drifts us away from our current partners as we focus too much on the past relationships we had. We tend to go back on our ex’s profiles to have what we lost, causing us extreme distress, thus destroying our current relationships.

Another article on Relationship Rules shows that social media leads to insecurity when your partner is chatting with their ex. It also creates a safe world for us with the people we don’t know which pulls us away from our partners in the real world who loves us the most.

Social media still comes in our lives, but one has to be very mature, understanding and trust their partners to develop a strong, life-long relationship. We should always have an honest talk with our partners on how their interactions on social media make us feel. If we truly love each other, at the end of the day we will respect each other’s feelings about it. Are you mature enough to stand up against the negative impacts of social media in your relationship? Are you willing to have an honest conversation with your partner on how their interactions on social media make you feel? It’s your decision, it’s your call to leave the past relationship and focus on what we have now.

REFERENCES:

Cohen, M. T., (Dec 04,2018), “Social Media and Relationships A few important rules.” Psychology Today, Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/finding-love-the-scientific-take/201812/social-media-and-relationships

(December 25, 2014), “The Impact of Social Media on Relationships”, Relationship Rules, Retrieved from https://www.relrules.com/the-impact-of-social-media-on-relationships/

Relationship, (7 May 2019), Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relationship

 

FACEBOOK: Social media affecting our current relationships. Check out at https://bit.ly/31rCKQm

TWITTER: Is Social media destroying your relationship? You are not alone Check at https://bit.ly/31rCKQm #putthephonesaway

HOW SOCIAL MEDIA CAN BE USED TO HAVE AN EASY INTERNATIONAL TRIP?

It’s a nice summertime outside and the time for a vacation for most of us has come. Who is planning to have a trip to Cuba, Mexico or any other country globally? Are you keen to travel internationally? If so, you have landed the right place to know about the tips for having an efficient trip to your destination….

HOW I USED SOCIAL MEDIA TO TRAVEL TO INDIA?

TRAVELING TO INDIA IN THE PLANE

Last year in 2018, I got married in India for which I at least had to travel two times to visit my spouse. With my experience of watching many YouTube channels, I have learned how to travel without any hustle bustle.

To begin with, I started following three YouTube channels for learning new ideas on how to pack a suitcase. Some of these channels had great ideas on how to pack items that can be easily misplaced while traveling. I would like to share those tips with you.

One of the channels that I started following is called Crafty Panda. I watched a video on this channel which provided me with few easy travel hacks. I used most of the ideas to pack my accessories, such as necklaces in straw, to ensure it does not entangle. Another idea, at time 4:13 showed how to fold clothes so, there is enough space for all the clothes in your suitcase. I am sure you would also like these ideas, and it will help you as well to fit in as many things as you need in just one suitcase.

The second channel I used was by Aspyn Ovard. In her video, I used the tips such as stuffing small clothes in my sneakers and using a toiletries bag to put my travel size body lotions and shower gels. I am sure you can see more tips in this video that you can use to your advantage as well.

The last channel I frequently use is 5 Minutes Crafts Girly on YouTube. In the video at time 1:17, the most useful tip was to roll clothes so that there is enough space for heavy clothes like sweaters, pajamas and so on. Another idea at time 5:30, was to use tape on top of the lids of liquid containers. It helped contain the liquid inside the bottles and reduced the spills in my luggage. This idea ensured all my belongings did not get wet when it reached the final destination at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, India. You can also look at more tips in this video which you can use to pack for your next travel plans.

I am sure now that with the help of social media, you can also have your personal belongings reach safely to your destination airport for your next trip out of the country. Please share your experiences on how social media helped you have an amazing international trip?  Did you have any experiences with packing that ruined your trip? Were you able to use any tips from social media to help you save your trip? I would love to hear your stories. Until then have a safe and smooth trip of your life! Please don’t forget to check the videos I mentioned for amazing tips before you leave with your luggage! I am sure you would want to have all your belongings at your destination in good condition.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

“Pack Up and Go With these 15 Travel Hacks and More DIY Ideas by Crafty Panda”, YouTube, uploaded by Crafty Panda, 08 August 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir2AM0bUsQY

“25 Travel Hacks You Need to Know! | Aspyn Ovard”, YouTube, uploaded by Aspyn Ovard, 16 September 2017 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4xg9tpCRwg&t=420s

“48 Travel Hacks You Need to Know”, YouTube, uploaded by 5-Minute Crafts GIRLY, 23 June 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4xg9tpCRwg&t=420s

FACEBOOK: “TRAVEL HACKS FOUND ON SOCIAL MEDIA TO SAVE YOUR TRIP ” Read more here https://bit.ly/2ELSPXi

TWITTER : @prabz23 “HOW TO PACK YOUR LUGGAGE USING SOCIAL MEDIA” https://bit.ly/2ELSPXi #travelling #packing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COM0011 Blog post #1 : IS SOCIAL MEDIA WORTH IT?

IS SOCIAL MEDIA WORTH IT?

So I want to first start with asking you all a very simple question. Have you ever thought what a great role social media can play in your personal life? If you have only looked at the negative impacts of social media and stopped using it, today you will want to start reusing all your Facebook, Instagram and Twitter account again. Well, it is obvious that the cyberbullying rates have gone up which can be seen here. As seen on CBC, the rise in cyberbullying is noticed from 2003 to 2010 being 23 cases only and just in 2011 and the first four months of 2012 about 18 cases were reported. The statistics must be very scary which also made me stop using social media during my university life until I realized how important it is later on.

MY LONG WEEKEND

It was the gloomiest day of my summer vacation in May, the long weekend we all wait for Victoria Day in Canada. It is one of the most beautiful holidays of the summer celebrated on last Monday preceding 25th May of each year. This day has been declared the national holiday to celebrate the birthday of Queen Victoria.  But sadly, it was not the most amazing long weekend for me.

If it was not for Messenger video calling, I would not have been able to see the funeral of my grandfather who lived in India. Being across the world in Canada, Facebook helped us see his funeral before my mother could reach to India. In such an emergency, unexpected death of my grandfather, and in the hustle of getting an emergency visa, tickets, my mother still got the opportunity to see her father’s funeral. This would be the most memorable moment of my life I would keep with me. I could not be more grateful to Facebook, which allowed us to reconnect with my family in India and support them emotionally just with one call through our social media accounts. So would you now want to reactivate your Facebook accounts to reconnect with your family and friends all over the world as you never know when would be the last day you will be seeing them?

MY E-COMMERCE WEB PAGE ON FACEBOOK

In today’s modern world, Facebook and Twitter are the main hubs for promoting your small businesses online. As said in the article “Twitter gives customers a chance to communicate directly and we gain product feedback,” It also states that one must engage rather than sell meaning a company has a chance to understand what their customers need through social media. Marketing through Twitter about what a customer wants engages the conversation about the products directly enhancing sales as well.

Another amazing marketing strategy I found was on Jeff Bullas Tweet. It mentions that the best strategy to create customer loyalty is by content delivery. Therefore by providing information about the products before aiming to sell the products, a customer would be confident to buy the product. A lot of customers prefer to learn about the brand more than the advertisements for the products. Using social media according to the website mentioned on Jeff’s tweet, the strategy of connecting with your niche market’s persona, your e-commerce builds a level of trust with its customers as well.

Following the trend of engaging conversation with the clients as well as delivering the content information, I also made a web page named Prabz Corner on Facebook in 2017 for my e-commerce of Sugar-Free Energy Drinks. I started asking questions from the niche market of university students about the preferences for flavors of Energy Drinks as well as feedback on the samples tried. I also used to post videos, pictures and engaged the customers’ involvement on Facebook through a campaign of “The Power of 5 Nutrilite”. The Power of 5 Nutrilite is a campaign I organized to raise donations of $10 minimum for supplying one month of food at least for one child of age 5 years or younger. I organized a sale at my backyard by distributing samples of my products like energy drinks, energy bars and published a short video clip on my Facebook page about the products and the campaign. Also by giving easy access to the website for donations on my webpage, I raised enough money to help 3 kids across the world have access to nutritious diet supply for one month. The result is shown in the picture below.

Donations collected for “My Power of Five Nutrilite” campaign

          

Another thing I noticed was through social media promotions on Facebook for my campaign, I saw a huge rise in post engagements just within an hour. On June 17, 2018, at 8:14 pm seen in the picture below, the post reach was 123. Within one hour, at 9:22 pm, the posts reach were 147 and it was only rising for the whole night. This difference can be seen in the pictures below.

POSTS REACH 123 AT 8:14PM

POSTS REACH 147 AT 9:22PM

   

Isn’t Social Media a Great Resource to stay connected and grow financially?

Now you have seen how social media has helped me stay connected with my family across the world and I have no regrets that I could not see my Grandpa’s funeral in India too. Also, just by creating one web page, posting videos, promoting items, I enhanced the awareness of my campaign “The Power of 5 Nutrilite” as well. So, doesn’t it overlook the negative impact of cyberbullying if we all use it to our benefits? Isn’t it worth it to use social media then? Please share your experiences where social media would have impacted you positively?

I hope you all have a great summer exploring social media to your benefit just like I did.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Card, Jon. “How should small businesses use social media?” Telegraph Group Limited 2019, 6 March 2019, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/connect/small-business/business-solutions/small-businesses-social-media-2019/.   Accessed 24 May 2019.

“Cyberbullying-linked suicides rising, study says”, CBC News, 20 October 2012, Web. 24 May 2019, https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/cyberbullying-linked-suicides-rising-study-says-1.1213435.   Accessed 23 May 2019.

Dangi Jaymin, “6 Unique Approaches to eCommerce Content Marketing That Will Make You Re-Think Your Strategy”, Jeff Bullas Blog2018.
https://www.jeffbullas.com/ecommerce-content-marketing/

Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, “Victoria Day”, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 20 May 2019 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Day