Several studies show that social media makes you sick. For example, a study from the universities of Arkansas and Pittsburgh shows a direct link between the intensity of social media use and the onset of depression. And a University of Montreal longitudinal study of teens says the more time they spend on social media, the more depressive symptoms they develop.
I’m long past my teenage years, but I also know a certain depression after scrolling through Instagram. Everyone is always on vacation, has the perfect body, the perfect face, the perfect family, the nicest clothes and just throwing money around. As I fluctuate between two dress sizes thanks to menopause and have to think about what I’ll be missing out on next year because health insurance premiums for me and my kids will be absurdly high (not just because they’re generally going up, but because my daughter is officially is adult). Not that I don’t know that everyone else also has problems, which they cover up with filters depending on the situation.
Nevertheless, even if I’m not prone to depression, I’d feel better if I didn’t watch the crap at all. And I would save so much time. This is especially true for TikTok. I love TikTok because it’s entertainment first and foremost and not an envy-promoting program like Instagram. But I barely opened the app, it’s an hour later and all I was doing was watching what felt like 39 different people dancing the “Wednesday”. If I had treated myself to a warm bath and a good book during that time, I would certainly have been more relaxed.
Even smoking doesn’t shorten lifespan as drastically as unhealthy eating, says a study from the University of Washington. According to this report, 22 percent of all deaths in 2017 in 195 countries are due to unhealthy diets. It’s not just about junk food, it’s about processed foods and the lack of whole, plant-based foods.
Now I would describe my eating behavior as relatively normal. Yet there are always days when I notice in the evening that I haven’t eaten a single piece of fruit or vegetables. Because smearing butter on a piece of braid in the morning is much faster than making muesli with fresh fruit. Because the salad buffet in the cafeteria gets me and that’s why I took menu 1, meatloaf with mashed potatoes. And in the evening I wanted to make the kids (and myself) happy and cook spaghetti carbonara. Not always, but more often. That has to change again.
Stress and illness go together like chickens and eggs. It is clear that diseases such as cancer, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular or even mental illness cause stress. But the reverse is also true. Stress has a reputation for promoting almost every disease.
I don’t think I’m more stressed than others. But I would really like to get a little less upset. Every time my teenage brood suggests I chill, I think: “If you knew how much I’d like to be the most chilled person on the planet.” Unfortunately I am far from it. I so often get upset by trivial things, especially about myself. I so often lose myself in the big picture instead of catching my breath and taking things one step at a time. I worry so much about things I can’t control or change. I will do that. At the end of 2023, I probably still won’t be the most relaxed person in the world. But maybe a little less chilled.
And you? What are your plans for 2023, whether or not in the interest of your health? Share it with us in the comment columns.
