As the social media world becomes increasingly popular, it can be hard not to wonder if it can affect stress levels either negatively or positively.
“Social media can be both positive and negative, depending on how you use it and how much power you give it,” says professor Sabryna Cornish. “Students do tend to get stressed out about things that happen on social media but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
Media is a way to send and receive information. Some of this information can be used in a negative way such as for bullying. On the other hand, the media can be used for good to spread the news that may be important for the world to know about.
“I think college students these days are more informed about what is going on in the world by simply looking through their Twitter feed or seeing what people are posting on Facebook,” says Cornish.
As a stress and coping professor at North Central, Sharon Gilbert finds that students tend to be the most stressed when they get disorganized. This causes them to feel overwhelmed and frustrated. Similarly, students can become too involved with how others see them on social media and become stressed.
“It’s developmentally detrimental to be too wrapped up in social media,” says Gilbert.
According to a study done by Ariel Shensa in 2018, the “volume of social media use has been associated with increased risk for both depression and anxiety among young adults.”
When levels rise, students need to find ways to relax and take a break. While stress may increase during times of finals and midterms, it also exists throughout the rest of the school year.
Whether it’s because of workloads, too many activities or technology, students could feel overwhelmed at any time for a number of reasons. This is why North Central offers services to help lower blood pressure during these overwhelming times.
Dyson Wellness Center offers counseling along with opportunities that allow students to de-stress. Some of these services include Dyson Dog Days, free massage days and free yoga classes.
On yoga nights, students bring in their own yoga mats to the class taught by Tera Davis. In this setting, they have the opportunity to breathe, relax, and stretch. Yoga is “a moving meditation where with every movement you are inhaling or exhaling,” says Davis. It is with these actions that stress will hopefully start to melt away.
Whether a student is struggling academically, socially or mentally, the counseling staff at Dyson can help. They are available for both group and individual sessions.
