Social Media and Depression

Is social media keeping you depressed? Are you spending too much time browsing and scrolling through facebook, Instagram, and SnapChat to look at friends, co-workers and old class mates living their best life. How often to you come across a page of someone celebrating a wedding anniversary, a graduation, or relaxing on vacation with family? Do you allow these images to make you evaluate your own life?

We often look at these images and began to compare them to our own lives. Even if we are happy for our old classmate's wedding, or baby shower, we still tend to think "what about me?"
Or "when am I going to find the love of my life or go back to school to get that master's degree."
We have a tendency to live vicariously through others and sabotage ourselves if we are not making progress at the same pace as others. This can lead to shame, guilt and depression.

The truth is, people can create the perfect life on social media. The happy couple laying on a sandy beach is not going to announce that their vacation will take 3 years to pay off. The happy newly weds will not broadcast how they are struggling financially. We do not see what's really going on behind the smiles, parties, expensive trips, and special engagements.
We cannot allow the lives of others to make us feel unworthy or feel unaccomplished. It's human nature to compare your life to others, but the truth is, you are comparing your life to a lie. You are comparing yourself to another person's image they created for their followers. This can make you feel like you are not accomplished if you are comparing yourself to others.

Take breaks from social media. I know social media can be addictive and a way to kill time, but a few days off can help you evaluate your life and future. Always remember that things are not always the way they appear on social media. A  person in debt can make themselves look  like a millionaire through pictures. An unhappy family can make themselves appear to be a perfect model family. You cannot compare yourself to a bunch of happy images. This is self sabotaging and it only leads to depression. Especially if you already suffer from depression, watching people portray perfection will not help your mental state.

The Symptoms of Depression, The Tears and Fears

The symptoms of depression shows in so many ways that we do not always recognize it. The symptoms vary from person to person msking us feel sadness, heartache, numbness and even physical pain. It robs us daily and takes all of our energy, passion, and hope. Sometimes depression sneaks up on us and we do not realize it until we are behind in bills, quitting a job, or jumping into a new relations. Often the symptoms of depression seem normal. We blame everything and everyone outside of ourselves. We blame our jobs, our children, our spouse even the weather.

Depression has often been referred to as a silent killer, robbing a person of their happiness, strength, energy and health. It doesn't have to be this way. Depression doesn't have to drain you everyday and steal your joy. Stand up to depression. Cry it out, then get up and fight back. Depression will make you feel as if you have no purpose in life. That is the dirty trick that depression plays on you. Depression will pull you back into bed when you know you have things to get accomplished. Depression will tell you to continue eating although you set a goal to lose weight. Depression will tell you that your beauty has faded.

It is hard yes, it is a struggle when you don't want to get out bed, when you want to sit in a dark house with the curtains closed. Those are the days that you have to give yourself that extra push. Force yourself out of the house. Force yourself to the gym, to the grocery store, or to the park to walk and enjoy nature. Don't let depression keep you hidden away. Depression is a battle. The more you stay locked away and isolated, the more you become depressed. Face depression and fight back. The more you postpone cleaning up or organizing your life, the more you feel unaccomplished. This is the cycle of depression. Face depression, face all fears, shed tears, then get back up. Continue to get up. You deserve your happiness. You deserve to get out of the house everyday, you deserved to be happy and enjoy life. You deserve to be free. Come out of that mental hostage and take your life back. You are entitled to yours. It's your life. It's a struggle, but you only live once.

So many people are triggered after watching Surviving R.Kelly

Surviving R. Kelly was very sad, sickening, and painful to watch for most viewers. For some, the show was just highlighting the wrong doings of a Musical Superstar. For many, the show Surviving R. Kelly brought back painful memories of childhood trauma and neglect. Surviving R. Kelly is a trending topic that really got people speaking out, debating, and pointing fingers. Some people want to blame the parents, the music industry, while some blame the underage girls for putting themselves in the presence of a predator. I blame the abuser. I blame any adult that abuses underage children and take advantage of anyone sexually. Not only is R. Kelly being accused of being a pedophile, he is accused of being violent and mentally abusive to women. For years allegations have been whispered, but because R. Kelly has put out some chart topping music, people have let his talent outshine everything, and have giving him the benefit of the doubt.

This is very triggering for victims. This is a reminder that child abusers are currently walking free and often are never punished. Many child molesters and woman abusers are not brought up on chargers because they intimidate their victims. Many victims have to walk with the guilt, shame, and trauma after being sexually abused. R. Kelly has used his status to dominate women and break them down spiritually and mentally. This happens so much in our communities and families. Uncles, Grandfathers, stepdads and other relatives sexually abuse children in the family and they get away with it. Sometimes because the child is too afraid to speak out, or because the family doesn't want the pubic to know that they had a child molester in the home. For example, a mother may cover up sexual abuse in her household because she doesn't want Child protective services and other social services in her business. She may not want Law Enforcement investigating her household. These are just a few reasons why abusers get away with abuse on children.

These children have to walk through life with permanent mental scars and traumatic memories that will continue to resurface. Social media has been fueled with triggered people that are still recovering from child abuse, sexual abuse, and other forms of mental abuse. Some people will never recover and don't know how to deal with the mental scars. Some people have blocked out years of abuse, but were triggered while watching the 6 hour series of Surviving R. Kelly. The triggering brings back painful memories.