Why You Shouldn't Escape Into Social Media To Avoid Holiday Stress

As media penetrates throughout our life in various aspects, we become more and more dependent on it and always unconsciously follow the message it delivers. According to Dr. Pamela Rutledge, director of the Media Psychology Research Center, social media is full of all kinds of anxiety and it is liable to increase our anxiety during stressful times. Take the terrorist attacks from the past to nowadays as examples, the 9.11 attack, the earthquakes and missing fight MH370, especially the recent terrorist attacks in Paris; they are troublesome when experienced online. No one says to avoid the news, but for terrifying things to happen, social media always makes it easy for the most intense elements to occur as all the experts and social activists keep updating the tragic news with violent imagery, outraged commentary and so on.

Gradually, people start to feel they are unsafe and live in a very scary place on earth. Thanks to the propagation of our smartphones and various apps, our upcoming holiday season is likely to be surrounded by anxiety and frustration. For people live in New York, a relaxing weekend is not longer about picnic, movies at Time Square or a job at Central Park because people are scared that the terrorists are going to bomb the area. Certainly, some degree of consciousness and alertness are helpful when planning on trips, but being blindly scared about the world and suspect that danger sticks around us is not a healthy thought and eventually will paralyze our ability to make correct judgement as we become too paranoid.

As Dr. Anne Marie Albano, director of the Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders, said that "What happens to individuals who may be depressed or anxious, they develop a bias to selectively find information that validates what they're feeling or fearing." In another words, you feel anxious, thus you unconsciously tend to focus more on negative feelings online.

However, holidays are supposed to be celebrating and enjoying; therefore, experts provided several tips to maintain a healthy mind:

1. We need to admit the fact that flights will get delayed; a good way to pacify ourselves is to download some books and movies while waiting or on flight.

2. Talk to friends and family about our concerns; this will help us to relieve stress as we spill out our frustration and worries; by hearing others with the same anxiety, we will have a feeling of alliance and being helped.

3. Go outside for fresh air. When you see the sun is still up high in the sky, you know today will be a beautiful day.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/social-media-anxiety_56534766e4b0d4093a587400