Social Media and Wellness Culture

Social media has created some wonderful spaces for people to come together to support and uplift each other. There was a time when the healing journey was one that was seldom witnessed by others. Now we are seeing people sharing their journey online, offering guidance and support. Therapists, including me, now use social media to connect with clients to showcase their experience and knowledge. I believe this is wonderful, because struggles with mental health should be just as easy to speak about than any other issue we experience in our lives.

However, there are some downsides to social media being a part of wellness culture. As a therapist I often see unethical behaviour from professionals online, as well concepts and definitions of behaviours & disorders being overused and misunderstood. This can be dangerous and cause harm for clients.

Below are a few things to be mindful of when using social media as a tool, or support system for your mental and emotion health.

 Unrealistic Standards and Comparisons

Social media often showcases idealized versions of wellness, such as flawless physiques, perfectly balanced diets, and stress-free lifestyles. These representations create unrealistic standards that individuals may feel pressured to achieve. When they fail to meet these ideals, feelings of not being good enough or being ‘broken’ can set in.

Constant exposure to unrealistic ideas of what the healing journey should be, can lead to people making unhealthy comparisons. Everybody’s story is different, and healing is not linear. One size does not fit all.

Promoting Misinformation

Social media is rife with mental health advice that lacks scientific backing or trauma informed guidance. This misinformation can lead people to make unhealthy choices or to reject professional support in favour of trendy but harmful alternatives. The process of therapy, or criteria for a diagnosis of disorders, are now being reduced to one liner definitions, quizzes and tick boxes. I have had many clients come to me convinced they have a disorder, when they are just experiencing some of the symptoms connected with one. 

This new surge of self-diagnosis can discourage individuals from seeking professional help when needed, potentially worsening their mental health.

Consumerism

Wellness culture is now often connected to the promotion of products, creating a consumerist approach to mental health. If we lean too heavily into this, we can begin to believe that our healing is something that must be bought to achieve.  Let me be clear: You cannot heal your trauma in a specific number of days, no matter what Instagram tells you. And it is the Individuals struggling the most that are particularly vulnerable to exploitation by influencers, or even therapists, who are seeking to promote their brand or business rather than offering realistic support and advice for mental and emotional health.

Toxic Positivity

Social media can sometimes minimise the process of healing.  Wellness culture often promotes a "good vibes only" approach, which dismisses the real emotions that you will face when trying to heal and recover from things such as trauma.  Toxic positivity can make people feel guilty for experiencing uncomfortable emotions and discourage them from expressing what is truly happening. This fixation on always being happy is not what having good mental health is about. Having good mental health does not mean happy all the time, it means you are able to feel your feelings and survive them.

Too Much Introspection

As a therapist I am the first person to encourage others to self-reflect and be curious about their inner world. But also, be aware enough to know that not all things require such microscopic attention. The constant need to self-analyse, can lead to hypervigilance of self, burn out and perfectionism. Without a trauma informed approach to recovery, too much introspection can trigger re-traumatisation. It is ok if you do not know the full story or root causes of our trauma, in fact, many survivors of trauma have little memory of where it began. You can still recover.

Wellness culture on social media can offer inspiration and valuable information, but like everything, it has its downsides. It often bypasses the crucial steps needed for recovery. It can reinforce stereotypes and promote misinformation, so use it wisely. Let it be a part of your support system and not the sole source.