Over the last few weeks, there has been a heavy focus on the lives of women and girls, from celebrations such as International Women’s Day and Mothers’ Day, to causes for concern over women’s rights owing to themes in the news. This includes the Sarah Everard attack, the movement to protect women from violence, and the reaction to the interview with Meghan Markle.
Rising levels of stress and anxiety
Stresses have also been high this week for certain groups of women in the UK including the 89% of female NHS nurses who were granted a 1% government pay rise and the 69.5% of female teachers in the UK returning to work in education. For those with children, supporting them as they return to school and re-aligning roles in terms of work and home may have also had an additional impact.
Anxiety has already been reported at a high due to the impact of the pandemic. The addition of negative messaging and circulation of fear generating news on social media at the moment (with constant information sharing, examples of dangerous situations, speculation, and debates) may contribute to further impact on mental ill health.
Although much of the focus in the news has been on women, we understand that people of all genders, including boys and non binary people, have been impacted by the events of the past month in many different ways. So here are some tips from stem4 for everyone on taking early steps to look after your mental health at this time.
How to stay resilient on social media
1. Identify your triggers
Learn to identify the early indicators of mental distress in yourself—this might include finding it hard to switch off from thinking about negative things, feeling on edge, difficulties sleeping and eating, feeling on a ‘short fuse’, being unusually irritable and angry, finding it difficult to go out, or feeling panicked.
2. Have a break
Take a break from the news and social media for a while, if you’re able to. This might mean turning off news feeds, having regular breaks to do other activities, and setting yourself some time limits.
3. Prioritise yourself
Sometimes, having a break can feel like a pressure in itself. You may feel in a dilemma about wanting to participate in the conversation whilst, at the same time, feeling guilty for not doing so. In this instance try and prioritise taking some time for yourself. Being stressed and anxious will slow you down from participating in the way you would like to anyway.
4. Turn off notifications
Turning off notifications may help you to challenge the temptation of ‘doomscrolling’.
5. Switch off before bed
Try not to look at negative messages before bedtime. Instead, send a supportive message or phone a friend for a chat. Focus on planning which positive media content you can enjoy the following day.
6. Do something comforting
Carry out some comforting activities. For example, listen to music or read a book you enjoy from someone you find inspirational.
7. Plan your return
Once you feel less stressed or overwhelmed, plan how you will return to the news and social media safely. Decide on what limits you can continue with, for example setting yourself some permanent realistic time limits.
8. Brainstorm next steps
If you want to make a difference, think about different ways in which you might be able to make this happen beyond just social media – for example, writing a blog, joining a women’s group etc.
For more information and tips, check out our resilience page and our Digital Wellbeing section.
