Social Media and Self-Esteem

Self-esteem is the opinion we have of ourselves. When it is healthy, we tend to feel positive about ourselves and life in general. When it is low, we can be critical of ourselves and less able to deal with challenges in our life.

Low self-esteem can begin in childhood. It can be due to teachers, friends, siblings, parents, and the media. These things can send a message that you are not good enough.

Social media has been linked to higher levels of loneliness, envy, anxiety, depression, narcissism and decreased social skills. Social media can have a negative impact on self-esteem as you may be bombarded with people living 'perfect' lives or people who have what is deemed a 'desirable' body.

60% of people using social media reported that it has impacted their self-esteem in a negative way. Social media is a staple in many of our lives for communication, entertainment, and getting information.

If social media is impacting your self-esteem in a negative way, it doesn't mean you have to say goodbye to it forever. You can curate your social media platforms to suit you.

You can mute words that you may find triggering, block accounts that affect you in a negative way, and click 'not interested' on posts that don't interest you. Social media should be a place where you can enjoy yourself - not somewhere that feels like a chore to be at.

By Aisia Lea.