Depression as a Challenge for Social Media Professionals

Time to Study: 8 minutes

It’s tough to deal with depression. Dealing with depression as a social media expert presents its own set of challenges and obstacles, doesn’t it?

A number of you who are studying this merely felt that way. Others aren’t aware of what I’m talking about, but I’ve been given some tasty insider-only information to share with you.

It’s estimated that 6.7 million adults in the United States have experienced at least one major depressive episode in a given year, and that data was collected before the outbreak. As a result, it’s most likely that:

During the previous yr, one out of every five of your Facebook pals in the United States was depressed.

That strikes me as both shocking and predictable at the same time.

The kicker is that we all know how harmful social media sites like Facebook and Instagram are to our mental health.

It’s now too mature a system to claim anything as untrue and overreaching as “Facebook will trigger depression.” It depends on the person using social media, how long they’ve been using it, how they use it, who they’re connected to, and outside context and stimuli, such as how things are going in their lives outside of social media. Some studies have shown that using social media for extended periods has specific benefits.

“Social media can be extremely diverse. Dr Martin Paulus of the Laureate Institute for Mind Analysis, the study‘s author, stated, “It may be very useful in some children, but it may be very harmful in others.” “However, we still don’t know which groups of children benefit from it and which groups of children may be harmed by it.”

We still don’t know which group of children it is.

Isn’t that the more difficult half? We don’t know what causes or worsens depressive symptoms, and we don’t seem to predict who could benefit or be hurt by social media. However, if you’ve decided to pursue a career in the social media marketing or digital marketing, you may not have a choice.

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn are places where you should, by definition, spend time creating content, sharing, networking, researching, and engaging, whether on your behalf or on behalf of other brands or customers you represent.

“If you’re surrounded by all these folks, it may be lonelier than if you’re by your self. You might be in an enormous crowd, however in the event you don’t really feel like you possibly can belief anybody or discuss to anyone, you are feeling such as you’re actually alone.”
― Fiona Apple

It may become a never-ending effort for others to get in and out. To go online, do your job, and try to ignore the postings from friends, the alerts of problems ignored, and the glimmer of enjoyment that other people appear to be feeling while you, ostensibly, aren’t.

There’s also a deeper issue. I’ve previously discussed how each social community is a microcosm of society that shapes societal norms and mores – in other words; there’s an expectation for how someone will use and act in a social community that may be completely different from, say, your neighbourhood.

For instance, if I read something you published on Facebook a while ago – maybe months ago – and I leave a comment on it, there’s an expectation that you’ll respond or reply to my remark, isn’t there? There’s an unwritten rule (or “norm”) that you’ll recognise my involvement with your post, particularly if I asked a question or said something favourable.

But what if you’re not in the mood to respond?

My social media involvement, as well as the annoying notice on your app icon, demand that you respond with already-limited strength and emotional reservoirs. But, if you’re sad and don’t want to respond, that’s not something you can just state, is it? “Sorry, I’m not in the mood to respond right now since I’m sad,” you can’t say in response to a comment. So you both conjure up the courage to respond, or you risk seeming cold and distant if you don’t.

“Each man has his secret sorrows which the world is aware of not; and infrequently occasions we name a person chilly when he’s solely unhappy.”
― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I’m sure a couple of you can relate to what I just said. Others may not understand, and that’s OK. You might not have experienced it and don’t understand why the mere thought of replying to a tweet right now is exhausting. So, let’s go up a notch for a second.

What Is Melancholy and How Does It Affect You?

“Melancholy is classified as a temper disorder,” according to Healthline. It’s defined as “unhappiness, loss, or rage that interferes with a person’s daily activities.” “Although melancholy and sadness have certain features, melancholy is distinct from grief experienced following the loss of a loved one or misery experienced after a catastrophic life event,” it said. Melancholy is characterised by self-loathing or a lack of shallowness, but sorrow is not.” And most importantly, “Melancholy is considered a serious medical condition that may develop without proper treatment.”

• Melancholy may represent any or all of the following:
• It’s a pain to concentrate, recall details, and make decisions.
• Fatigue
• Guilt, worthlessness, and helplessness are all emotions that people experience.
• Hopelessness and pessimism
• Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness or sleeping too much are all symptoms of sleep deprivation.
• Irritability or grumpiness
• Restlessness
• Lack of interest in things that were formerly delightful, as well as intercourse
• Overeating or a desire to lose weight
• Aches, aches, difficulties, or cramping that do not disappear
• Digestive problems that don’t improve after treatment
• Unhappy, nervous, or “empty” feelings that persist
• Suicidal ideation or suicide attempt
• Healthline also said that there are several types of depression:

What is the most physically exhausting thing you’ve ever done in your life?

Perhaps it was your first marathon, or perhaps it was merely chasing a cussed and bad pet across your neighbourhood. For me, it was T.O.S.R.V. – Tour of the Scioto River Valley – a hundred-mile bike ride from Columbus, Ohio to Portsmouth, Ohio on a Saturday, where we slept the night and rode the next day again with thousands of other cyclists. I cycled nearly 200 miles that weekend and was so exhausted at the end that I don’t remember how I got home.

Have you considered your own exhausting experience? Nice. Consider this: as soon as you finished doing whatever it was you were doing, you returned home to discover that two unwanted squirrels had sneaked into your house via an open window and had utterly wrecked the place while hunting for a way out. Meals scavenged from the pantry and strewn on the ground. Lamps and chairs were toppled—trash in every direction. Maybe you can gather the energy to clean up all of that right then and there, but I’m betting most of you would have fallen on your mattress and left the mess until the next morning, hoping it was just a bad dream.

If you can imagine that, you can begin to imagine what it’s like for someone going through a depressive episode which is suddenly being asked to ‘be cheery’ on social media or, God forbid, show up for a Zoom or live broadcast.

“Psychological ache is much less dramatic than bodily ache, however it’s extra widespread and in addition extra arduous to bear. The frequent try to hide psychological ache will increase the burden: it’s simpler to say “My tooth is aching” than to say “My coronary heart is damaged.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Downside of Ache

Each person who suffers from depression experiences unique obstacles and situations, and this isn’t intended to diminish or diminish what others go through. I’m just walking over what individuals that work professionally in and around social media often struggle with since that’s a big part of what I’ve been going through.

First and first, let me state unequivocally that I am not an expert or informed on sadness in any way. This is an opinion piece based on my experience, and if you’re looking for professional advice or knowledgeable information, I recommend the following resources:

Second, I’ve never been diagnosed with sadness in a clinical setting. This is a self-diagnosis, and although it normally wouldn’t carry as much weight in my defence as “let me tell you about my conspiracy theory,” I feel as if it’s something that’s been evolving over the last year. Is it dissatisfaction, disappointment, burnout, weariness, pharmaceuticals, or any number of other factors? Certain. However, if you’re disputing in your head whether or not I, or anybody else, is genuinely sad… you’re missing the point.

It’s not your business to criticise or diagnose; it’s your responsibility to help.

I’m self-aware enough to be able to look back over the last several months and see changes in my behaviour, emotions, and mental sharpness. Physically, I’m eating more and feeling better than I have in years, so it’s not anything that a change in diet or environment could classify. There have been personal and professional adjustments and setbacks that might very well trigger, but they don’t seem to be “the trigger” for what’s been going on. So I’ve been doing a lot of reading and more thinking than I should be, seeking answers, facts, and help.

Yeah, I’m not sure.

That’s the mentality I needed to adopt – that I didn’t have answers – and you’ll find that if you’re a friend or colleague of someone who’s going through a depressive episode while still trying to be a helpful and effective marketer, that’s most likely the mindset you’ll need to adopt as well. You have no idea, yet you’re right here for it. It’s for them.

It helps that you’re sitting right here, right now, studying and observing. You may not get the gist of what they’re going through, but you can grasp the issues I’ve been discussing here philosophically, and you can learn more in the resources mentioned above.

Someone going through an episode could be dealing with feelings of loneliness, self-loathing, or a loss of self-esteem… They might be suffering from impostor syndrome in spades… As a result, they may distance themselves from you and your shared friends. They may not believe they are deserving of your attention on one hand, and on the other, they may be humiliated to be dealing with such a situation. And, on a deeper level, I hope that their departure will be the same act that draws someone’s attention to them in the first place.

“Some pals don’t perceive this. They don’t perceive how determined I’m to have somebody say, I really like you and I assist you simply the best way you might be since you’re great simply the best way you might be. They don’t perceive that I can’t bear in mind anybody ever saying that to me. I’m so demanding and troublesome for my pals as a result of I wish to crumble and disintegrate earlier than them in order that they are going to love me although I’m no enjoyable, mendacity in mattress, crying on a regular basis, not transferring. Melancholy is all about In the event you liked me you’d.”
― Elizabeth Wurtzel, Prozac Nation

If you want to help people you know or believe is sad, the bottom line is just being there for them. You don’t have to be an expert in depression; all you have to do is be the friend they desire. That could imply being the best listener while they do a mangled job of attempting to elucidate everything that’s bothering them, which won’t make sense, but that’s okay, or it could simply be finding something to do or talk about that has nothing to do with how they’re feeling in the meantime but creates a space where they don’t feel alone and can feel needed and appreciated.

Here are a few remote/digital ideas for friends who can’t get together for coffee or lunch:

• A great name for a cellphone from the past.
• With simply a few excellent friends, create a digital escape room.
• Create a montage with video clips from common friends discussing how they met your acquaintance or what they admire the most.
• Frequently test in

There’s nothing worse than being bolstered by silence from friends when you’re feeling alone. If I don’t say anything and no one asks about me, my concerns and views are validated.

Consider how you might help a colleague who is struggling to handle the strain of their job for some time. Perhaps there’s anything you can do to help them with their work, or it’s as simple as giving them food, so they don’t have to think about their next meal.

Social media managers may also employ tools and tactics to help them spend as little time as possible on platforms.

“If you understand somebody who’s depressed, please resolve by no means to ask them why. Melancholy isn’t an easy response to a foul state of affairs; melancholy simply is, just like the climate.

Attempt to perceive the blackness, lethargy, hopelessness, and loneliness they’re going by means of. Be there for them after they come by means of the opposite facet. It’s arduous to be a pal to somebody who’s depressed, nevertheless it is likely one of the kindest, noblest, and greatest issues you’ll ever do.”
― Stephen Fry

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