Social Media is so woven into our lives now and can be a great platform for showcasing amazing stories of success, recovery & resilience that gives inspiration and hope to others.

A common theme in many of these great stories, is the support and love of family, friends and work colleagues.

It can be hard to understand, that for some people these great stories are a difficult read.

Not everyone has loving family around them, or supportive friends & colleagues, for a vast array of reasons, to help them when they are struggling with their mental or physical health concerns or to be their personal cheerleaders.

There are many people who are the ‘rock’ in their family/ friend or business life and feel they ‘have to be ok’ and feel they can’t turn to those closest to them and see their struggle as ‘failure’ when compared to others achievements.

Social Media positive & negative

There are many people who are the ‘rock’ in their family/ friend or business life and feel they ‘have to be ok’ and feel they can’t turn to those closest to them and see their struggle as ‘failure’ when compared to others achievements.

Things to do that may help

• Try taking a social media holiday
• Do not compare yourself, your ‘journey’ to that of others – you are not them and they are not you and mostly you’re seeing a snapshot of what that person has been though to get from A to B. We’re all truly individual and our experiences are our own and we experience everything in our own way too.
• Do look at what inspires you though and what you think you could try, that appeals to you.
• Write down at least 3 things about yourself that you are happy about or proud of – it can be anything
• Get out into nature as much as you can
• Take time to breathe and have ‘time out’ in your day – just for you
• Listen to music
• Write down all your thoughts in a piece of paper – then rip it up or shred it – a great way to get those thoughts you don’t want out of your head
• Join a group activity like learning crafts or walking. It can feel so hard to do initially, but you’ll be glad you did.
• And definitely find deep inside you – the courage and confidence to take the first step to getting some support, whether through your GP or the many organisations who offer tips on their websites, text / chat options or people to speak to over the phone or in person
• It is okay to not be okay and to ask for help

Andrea