Quite recently I’ve seen an outbreak of depressing and hope depriving statuses scattered across the social internet.  Funnily enough, this is the kind of saddening banter that filled MySpace up to the brim before it toppled sideways and everyone ran out trying to find a Book with their Face in it.  Inevitably social media is going to result in a lot of moody updates. Now emotions are something that will reach high peaks, low peaks – sometimes they even manage to balance in between.  But the problem here is that when these natural emotions are combined with the interlocking connectivity of the internet they are amplified to the point that all the statistics reporting on depression these days make complete and perfect sense.

Before the social web, whenever we felt low or depressed we would usually only have to deal with our own problems – but now with the internet, you’re being linked up with all of your friends – all at once.  Now although they can give you support when you post about your issues, they may also be posting about their own problems.  Something that really doesn’t help your ability to bounce back mentally from some sad thoughts, is reading other sad thoughts.  Imagine that you have stubbed your toe – and it’s really sore – if you then decide to start kicking the door toe-first, your toe is probably going to take far longer to recover from your incredibly apocalyptic ordeal.

Now I’m not saying that outside of these networks we never hear about peoples problems’ while we have our own.  What I’m saying is that we are exposing ourselves to even more negativity than we would usually.  Now I can’t really talk much in this department – but there are a large chunk of people, particularly teens – that have hundreds of ‘friends.’

I say ‘friends’ with quotations because they clearly have no idea who all of these people are personally.

This magnitude of people… it’d drive you absolutely crazy.  You’d never comfortably meet up with all these people all at once outside of the internet, and yet… every thought and opinion is rushing to us instantly every day.

All I ask is, don’t fall.  Do something creative, take your mind off it.  Force yourself to do something for you for a change.  Turn off the notifications, make yourself a hot chocolate, sit up comfortably in bed and just relax.  Close your eyes if you have to… but drink your hot chocolate first, you really don’t want to fall asleep with that hovering above your lap.

Thanks again for reading beings!

Ben,