Empty Encouragement On Social Media Is Bad For You
It Is Not Just Irritating, It Is Harmful For Your Mental Health
Among a myriad problems with social media, one that no one ever talks about is the empty encouragement social media hooks its users with.
You are awesome!
You are capable of doing anything!
You are the best!
Sending good vibes your way!
People are wrong, you are right!
Worst of all,
Like this post and affirm your faith in yourself!
Did you not find the above lines irritating to say the least? It is annoying for many of us, but there are people who mistake it for encouragement or motivation. It wastes their time and is even bad for their mental health. I steer clear of this garbage on social media. Here is why-
It Gives A Temporary High, Instead Of Long Term Motivation
If you look at such posts, they tell you to conquer the world and blablabla. People, esp. teenagers follow Instagram pages spewing this bullshit because they think it provides them ‘daily motivation’. What it actually provides them is a temporary ‘high’ that doesn’t amount to anything. Who do you think attributed his success to an Instagram page telling him to buckle up? This is the problem with empty motivation, it is not motivation, it is a ‘high’. These words have no substance. This ‘high’ even stops you from facing your reality and working hard towards your goals. It takes away your real motivation. Have you even seen hard core social media addict doing anything productive or working hard to achieve her goals? People who actually work hard stay a lot away from social media.
It Is Toxic Positivity
People scrolling through social media looking for encouraging posts are trying to run away from their problems more often than not. It is bad to constantly look for motivation and encouragement. It is like an addiction that ruins your mental health in the longer run. Sometimes, we need to sit and deal with our problems, situations and shortcomings. Being a meditation and mindfulness instructor, I tell people that it is okay to feel sad sometimes and it is okay not being the best or not being out there to conquer the world. We need to learn to slow down instead of succumbing to the toxic positivity that empty encouragement gives us.
It Promotes Narcissism
I came across this post that told me that I was the best. Being a meditation practitioner, it didn’t please me. I didn’t let it speak to my ego and boost my narcissism. I knew this statement didn’t serve me. Why? Because there is no best. Even ‘Best’ is subjective for everyone and being the best, trying to become the best leads to a very unfulfilled life. I am what I am, and I am satisfied with it. I am not in competition with anyone. Everyone has a different journey and a different purpose in life.
It doesn’t mean I don’t have goals. I do have goals and I am working towards them but I am in the moment, not being bothered by the rat race that social media wants to promote by telling us to run a race that is not meant for me. Not everyone will be happy being the CEO of a multinational or a billionaire. But that is what social media promotes. It is narcissistic and not good for your mental health.
You don’t need social media for encouragement. There are friends, family members who can give you the much needed motivation, if you need it. Also, you don’t need to “be the best” and it is okay for people to not tell you that “you are the best”. Don’t aim to feed your ego in the name of motivation. People who have good intentions for you, won’t feed your ego like social media does. They would encourage you with purposeful words. They might also give you some constructive criticism that would help you improve yourself. So, go off the social media and talk to people. That is in fact my solution to a lot of things these days.
