Social Media And Your Mental Health

Social Media and Your Mental Health

Okay, first things first and that is to state that the internet is not a bad thing; in fact it's quite the opposite. We are the first generation to have access to complete knowledge at our fingertips! This means that if we don't know the answer to a question, we can Google it. If we don't know how to make a drink, we can YouTube it. If we aren't sure how to fix something that's broken, we search it. We can do all these things and more using the internet.

In addition to this, regular internet use has also been shown to have other proven benefits. Use of the internet and social media has been shown to improve communication levels, social connections and even technical skills amongst children and adolescents. 

 On top of that, there are more opportunities for community engagement through raising money for charities and volunteering for events such as political rallies or philanthropic fundraisers. Then there's the enhancement of individual and collective creativity through development and sharing of artistic and musical endeavours, as well as the growth of ideas from the creation of blogs, podcasts, videos, and gaming sites.

We all know that the internet is a wonderful and powerful thing. But of course, with everything good there is also the potential for bad and there are certainly some draw backs to the internet.

So c'mon get on with it... What are the effects of the internet on Mental Health?

Sleep Disturbance:

First off, and what most teachers and parents will jump on, is that the internet causes sleep disturbance.

 Yes it's true that phones and television create blue light which makes it more difficult for your brain to switch off and fall asleep.

But having said that,

"Most phones nowadays have blue light filters which you can switch on at night to stop this issue."

 is the response of so many people we talk to about our phones interfering with our sleep.

But unfortunately the blue light filter doesn't stop messages and notifications waking you up.

 A lot of people (myself included) sleep with their phone by their bedside table, i.e right next to their head, this means that notifications, messages and updates can wake us up if on loud or vibrate. 

Many social media users are on at various points through the night and so it is likely you will receive notifications at stupid o'clock. 

Waking up to check notifications and messages we receive can have a serious effect on the amount of sleep we are getting by breaking your deep sleep cycles, not allowing you to reach that beautiful deep sleep zone we all dream of. This is the time when our brains develop and repair, so getting a certain amount of unbroken sleep each night is very important, particularly for the younger generations whose brains are still developing. 

Comparison leads to feelings of inadequacy:

Comparing yourself and competing with other people on social media can lead to jealousy and insecurities of inferiority.

     It's easily done, checking out how many followers a friend has, or being outraged by the amount of likes someone has received on Instagram  ["They must be paying for their likes"] and using that as a barometer to compare and compete. 

     

     Social Media is only the best bits of people’s lives.

   

    Think about it: we only share pictures of the best bits, like when we are on holiday or doing something exciting or seeing something abnormal. Most of us don't post when we are living our everyday lives, at work or at school. It's these times when we flick through social media and see the cool things our friend who's off travelling is doing. Feelings of jealousy creep in and we all start naturally comparing our lives to theirs as we are sat on the sofa bored out of our minds. So the comparison is unrealistic.

Chasing likes on posts to increase self worth and self esteem:

  

   Being too active on Social media and worrying about regularly posting pictures and status updates has been linked to anxiety, poor body image and diminished mental health.

 The constant seeking of approval from others and searching for external validation means that young people don’t develop a secure sense of self that isn’t dependent on compliments and likes.

With so many “selfies” uploaded everyday with hundreds of likes, we start to worry about how we are seen on social media, we become self critical and make more unrealistic comparisons. 

But it's not just unrealistic standards from friends and followers that we are trying to meet, but also media advertisement. Youtube, Facebook and now even Snapchat advertise on our social media feeds with perfectly plastic looking people, photoshopped and air brushed so they look flawless. Muscular men saying you should look like them. Memes of "Relationship goals" or "Friendship goals". 

 People are busting their butts trying to meet these expectations, so they can gain likes and finally get the validation they have been looking for. But how many likes will satisfy that hunger?

No wonder mental health issues are rising in young people. Take a picture, edit it, put it online to get validation, if not enough validation is received, start again. This is an exercise for poor self-esteem.

So there you have it. The internet is a wonderful thing that brings people together, gives us immediate knowledge and enhances creativity and connection. But like all powerful things there are draw backs. 

As with anything it is better taken n moderation But having this knowledge will allow you to identify and avoid potential issues in the future.

For more info about Internet safety or to book our internet safety workshop please visit our website:  www.actionwork.com

     

5 Ways of Improving Your Body Language

5 Ways of Improving Your Body Language.

Your body language speaks volumes about you and we are all fluent. So how can you improve your body language to make you look more confident and consequently less likely to be bullied?

We can't get away from body language, and we are always communicating something; confidence, nervousness, anger or upset. Whether you are meaning to or not, your body will give away tell tale signs that other people will be able to pick up on. For example if you are nervous you may tap your fingers, fold your arms or cross your legs.

Young people can be mean and they can pick up on small differences and weaknesses such as a lack of confidence. Don't let your body language be the reason you're getting bullied!

Body language is an outer reflection of our inner feelings, but it can also work the other way round. Your feelings can reflect your body language and so you can control your feelings just by changing the way you stand or walk. This concept we call "fake it to make it" and is based on the idea that faking a smile can actually make you feel happier - a concept that works hugely well in laughter therapy. Laughter therapy is short sessions where you force yourself to laugh from the belly. This laugh spreads and become sincere until eventually a whole room is manically laughing at nothing can help reduce stress, make people and employees happier and more committed, as well as improve their interpersonal skills.

So, what 5 things can we do to improve our body language?

1.        Put your shoulders down! 

As humans, we carry a huge amount of stress and tension in our shoulders; this can cause them to rise up to your neck at times when we are feeling unsure, nervous or frightened. Dropping your shoulders will release this tension and will immediately make you look and feel more confident and less stressed.

2.        Uncross your legs

Crossing one leg over the other is a protective movement and is often done to protect a person’s private area from possible danger. It's something we naturally do when in the dentist’s chair or at the doctors. Crossing our legs to other people can look as though we are frightened and intimidated. It also makes our base look weak and we look easy to push over or knock off balance. Take a strong stance with wide feet that would be difficult to knock over and feel (and look) more confident!

3.        Look Up!

No-one is going to look at you or listen if your eyes are glued to the ground and your face isn't on show. It also makes you look stand offish, uninterested and upset. Look up, let people see and read what is happening in your face. People are more trusting and friendly if they can see your face. They are also more likely to be engaged in your conversation partly because you are able to keep eye contact.

4.        Keep Eye Contact

Eye contact is a huge part of communication and with our eyes we can show trust, deceit, warmth, power or confidence with a single glance. Our eyes are the window to our soul and you can work a lot out about someone by looking in their eyes. Thus by avoiding eye contact you might be communicating a lack in confidence, deceit or a lack of care.

It's not always easy maintaining eye contact, so how do we "fake it to make it" to show confidence? If you’re not comfortable looking directly in someone’s eyes then there is one trick to make it look as if you are. An equilateral triangle forms from one eyebrow to another and down to the top centre of someone’s nose, this triangle of skin is a point that if you look at directly it looks as if you are staring into someone’s eyes. Give it a go!

     5.       Try to show your palms.

This one sounds a bit left field, but (trust me) it works. By showing the palms of our hands people tend to trust us more; it's partly because open palms highlight that you clearly have no weapons and also shows you are not hiding anything. If you want trust and authority the palms open is the best body language to adopt. Just by turning over our hands so our palms are down, or closing our fists, we take away this trust and people feel intimidated and patronised.

So there you have it! 5 simple ways of improving your body language so you look and feel more confident and people treat you better. Try to turn these actions into habits and you’ll be on track to becoming a happier and more confident person!

 Visit our website: www.actionwork.com

The Importance of creative learning

A chat with Becky Mitchell, our Education Manager.

It's a quiet afternoon in the office so I decide to ask Becky, (who has been working in education for 12 years and with Actionwork for four) a few questions about why creatively educating children and young people about social issues is so important?  And how does Actionwork's work impact the community?

When I ask her why she likes working with children and young people she replies, 'working with kids allows me to inspire a new generation and actively start to effect positive change in society. Lots of adults tend to have closed views or be a bit narrow minded when approaching new concepts or ideas and are therefore are not always so open to change or learning new ideas. Adults can be hesitant with accepting new views, whereas kids are blank canvases and when given the right guidance can be true positive pioneers and leaders in creating a healthier and happier society/community.'

Becky likes working for Actionwork specifically, because 'we are based in a rural area (Weston-Super-Mare) whereas most places focusing on PSHE type educational programs are based in London and can therefore be slightly detached from smaller communities. Different areas deal with different issues and Actionwork is sensitive to that; this is reflected in our workshop delivery. The team is passionate and are always conducting up to date research to ensure they give the best and most accurate information to really make a difference. With cyberbullying and technology changing on almost a day to day basis, having the most recent knowledge is crucial in delivering the best workshops.
    The Actionwork team interact with individuals and teach them how to use their voice in a positive way. In a society where social media is massively popular and users are getting younger, it is crucial that young people are made aware of how to be a positive influence online and also that they have the right to use their voice in such a way that they can provoke positive change and be a 'power for good'.
 The workshops Actionwork deliver are all tailored for the individual school's needs and the teams ensure that each school's issues are dealt with with respect and integrity. After all, just like with children, each school is different. The team go back to basics, identifying what bullying actually is (and what it is not), in order to really make sure that everyone understands the sensitive subjects we are dealing with and that they are all on the same page, then we expand on the themes further, taking into account the young people's ideas. Actionwork's approach is about getting young people's views and guiding them in a proactive way.'

'Creative workshops are so important for young people, it gives them a way to express their emotions whilst also creating a fun, casual and non-judgmental atmosphere in which to share their views. It gives them a space in which they feel they can use their voice to express their opinions about certain issues they/or someone they know may be dealing with. By mentoring children and adults alike, Actionwork creates a strong foundation for a positive and supportive community, and encourages people to pass on the skills they've learnt. Not only this but the use of drama games and techniques means that kids can actively engage in learning rather than passively listening; this makes a nice change from standard lessons, meaning that our work really stands out in young people's minds.'

Actionwork went to a school recently to run a two-day cyber mentor training workshop. Here are some of the things the kids said about their experience:

'Chris and Becky: I would like to say a really big thank you for giving me this opportunity. I have been cyber bullied for a long time, hearing the speech and tips you have given me, i have become stronger and caught my power I thought I never had. I'm looking forward to be able to be a cyber mentor. Thank you for helping find my smile back' - Sam

'Thank you for taking up your time to come to our school. You have given me the opportunity to become confident, and I have found my voice . I am now looking forward to help other people and make them feel better, because it will it will then make me feel better' - Mia

'Thank you so much for coming into school and opening a new door to tackling bullying. I never new there were so many aspects to bullying and I now know how to tackle nearly all of them' - Tom

This fantastic feedback from the students shows the clear, lasting impression creative workshops had, in educating about Bullying and cyber-bullying. It also illuminates the empowerment and confidence that has been gained, through the medium of fun and games, with theatre exercises like 'Blind car' '7 Up' and 'Colombian Hypnosis' all teaching lessons on Power, confidence and trust. This is a testament to the importance of creative learning in main stream education.

Actionwork

Get Bullied

This is Actionwork's 5 step guide to getting bullied.
 There are lots of unfair reasons why people get bullied and this list shows the ones we can prevent.
 This guide is  based upon real bullies we have worked with in the past. We believe that in order to effectively deal with bullying we need to know why people bully, what goes on inside their heads and what they think of their so-called victims. Once we know this, we can then find effective strategies to deal with bullying and those that bully.


1. Randomly insult anyone who walks past.
Now we all know throwing abuse at strangers is a sure fire way of getting thumped. and that certainly happens to poor old Jeff. Jeff perfectly demonstrates that being unkind can lead to violence and therefore ranks as number 1 in his ways of getting bullied.

2. Don't be social.
We all know times our friends have saved us from close shaves, so alienating yourself can lend you to being an easy target. having a support group there for you can
A. make you look like a less easy target.
B. Offer support
C. Offer advice
 Also having someone to share your problems with can massively decrease the burden, after all, a problem shared is a problem halved. Never underestimate the power of talking about your issues.

3. Have closed, unconfident body language.
Body language can have a huge effect on how people both perceive and treat you.
More confident people are less likely to be bullied, so having confident body language can deter people from picking on you. So crossed legs and arms, looking down and seeming shy can make you an easy target.

4. Stand out from the crowd and look different.
 Now we are not saying don't be different, in fact we think you should embrace your differences as they are what make you special and beautiful. However, lots of bullys will jump on difference and try to use it against you. Humans are frightened of what they don't know and so mock and insult it in fear. So don't stop being who you are but if everyone in your year is a die hard Arsenal supporter, maybe don't go round loudly singing Chelsea tunes.

5. Alienate and push away those who are close to you.
If no-one knows you are being bullied then no-one can help. This is great news for bullys, it means they can be as horrible as they like and know they won't get in trouble. You're family and friends care about you, and won't want you getting hurt. If you push them away then they have no chance of helping.

Now of course these aren't all the reasons people get bullied, and we are certainly not saying that it's the victims fault if they are. But by all parties doing what they can to prevent bullying, we are one step closer to stopping it.
To find out how you can stop being bullied, follow this link,
or for how to bully follow this.