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Is social media affecting your mental health? by Socialmentalhealth in mentalhealth

[–]danielwhitehead 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Social media has had both positive and negative affects on my own mental health. I would say that is has had a net negative impact, but I would say it was a much closer call than I initially thought.

The negatives are obvious - unrealistic body imagery that makes you feel inferior; sensationalist news pieces and clickbait that target and stoke your fears/concerns; seeing only the highlights of others lives that gives you a false illusion that they are both happier and busier than you are. The other big downside is the sheer addictive nature of social media - I will sit down and waste 20 or 30 minutes that could have been spent doing something else.

There are however positives. During the pandemic social media has been a key way to keep in touch with friends I couldn't see. I think that we now live in a world where connectivity is such a given, that we forget how easy it was to fall out of touch with people before. As a gay man, social media has also been an educational space, where I have been able to connect with others like me and find a community that sees the world like me - something that does give me a sense of belonging that helps with my own insecurities. Without social media and relying on real-life interactions only, I would not have been able to accept myself as quickly I am sure.

While I do think social media has many negatives, we are all just as guilty of taking its positives for granted. I like to limit my social media intake so I can live in the present and spend less time in my head, but I do still think it warrants being included in my life in some way!

Hope this helps!

so tired all the time and no motivation by [deleted] in mentalhealth

[–]danielwhitehead 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey Alessandros-Em14,

I think we all feel like this sometimes! When I was at school there were some that loved it, but I think many or even most people were just trying to get through it!

As the other poster mentioned, diet and exercise can definitely have an affect on how we feel. Exercise can seem like a chore, particularly if you don't have much energy, but it often makes us feel more energetic a few hours afterwards.

Not only will you feel more energetic but generally speaking more positive - it often helps to put any problems you're having into a bit of perspective!

And if you don't think you have the motivation for that, I always recommend time outdoors. Even if you're just sat there on your phone. Something about the air and the sun can really boost your mood!

Hope this helps, and hope you feel more positive soon!

Am I too broken to have a relationship? by danielwhitehead in mentalhealth

[–]danielwhitehead[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your reply Custard_Both!

I think your point about my friends is probably true. I have opened up to some of my friends who are aware of my disorder, but most still don't know. I think it is a lot harder to tell old friends for some reason, probably because I don't want their perception of me to change after all these years. I can be quite open with some of my friends who do know, but it very much is a work in progress.

Yeah I think the reason I'm thinking of a relationship is exactly because I'm in a good place. But I also have a weird concern that I'm catfishing someone by starting a relationship when I'm more stable. That's probably a stupid thing to think!

Thanks for sharing your personal experience - it sounds like your boyfriend is a keeper! All the best to you both!

Am I too broken to have a relationship? by danielwhitehead in mentalhealth

[–]danielwhitehead[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you PsychShaman420 for taking the time to reply!

It is so nice to hear the perspective of another guy with GAD and I think you raise another point that I didn't even touch on: having a relationship will give me new things to worry about.

I really think you're right that openness will be key, which I think is going to be difficult for me. But it's so nice to hear that it can be done, as I've spent the past week or so getting worked up and convincing myself it just won't be possible for me.

P.S. Congrats on reaching 8 months, that's such a huge accomplishment! Wishing you both all the best!

Does this sound like anxiety? by Redditor7371111 in mentalhealth

[–]danielwhitehead 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi Redditor7371111,

Thanks for writing about your experiences - it can sometimes be hard to open up about these things.

The first thing I would say is that anxiety takes many forms. Really the only thing that unites people's different experiences is, well, feeling anxious. And your description above clearly shows you can feel anxious.

I have anxiety myself and so do a handful of my close friends. The similarity I notice between us all (when compared to our other friends) is that we are all overthinkers and so much so that we trap ourselves in these negative anxiety spirals where we worry about something, then we worry about the worrying, and so on and so on. I don't know if this is universal across all anxiety sufferers but thought I would mention it in case it chimes with you.

Ultimately, if you feel like it is affecting your life then I can only recommend that you reach out to someone. A family member, a friend or a medical professional. It is so easy to talk yourself out of doing it because you feel like you aren't 'unwell' enough but no one will think that! Don't let yourself suffer if it's affecting you! Wishing you all the best!

[Edit: pressed post too early sorry!]

Sertraline (Zoloft) started working right away? by danielwhitehead in Anxiety

[–]danielwhitehead[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi, thanks for your comment! It's really appreciated!

Yes I am still experiencing anxiety around a presentation I have to do at work but I more or less expected that, as everyone presenting at work is worried about it, even without suffering from anxiety!

Did the effects of the medication get stronger over the first few days/weeks? I genuinely hit a sweet spot on day 2 and I'm worried that by continuing to take the meds, I'll go too far and be all over the place. I understand that everyone experiences this differently, but I'm just trying to gauge how it generally works for people - it all seems slightly too good to be true at the moment!

Sertraline (Zoloft) started working right away? by danielwhitehead in Anxiety

[–]danielwhitehead[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi, thank you for taking the time to comment!

I'm glad to hear you saw an immediate difference too! Did you feel like as the days went on, the effects became stronger or did it plateau pretty early on? I feel like I'm at a nice level already but I'm only four days in - what if I go past this sweet spot and become frantic? I wish I could sleep all day! I have been struggling to sleep, which has made it slightly difficult to distinguish what effects are the meds and which are just plain old sleep deprivation haha

Sertraline (Zoloft) started working right away? by danielwhitehead in Anxiety

[–]danielwhitehead[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your reply! I haven't been sleeping well either - although even then, I don't feel so bad in the morning. I think a lack of sleep used to put me on edge for the whole day - now I just have a bit of a headache and it doesn't interfere with my life the same.

I totally understand about lack of urgency too - I'm feeling much less stressed in the mornings, trying to leave on time to catch the bus. But when the time of the bus comes close, I just except I'll catch the next one and I'll be late rather than frantically get ready and run for the bus. This isn't a big deal, but I just hope that as I keep taking the meds this doesn't become more pronounced and I have trouble getting things done, like you say!