Can Social Media Help When You Are Sad?

Often social media gets a bad rap. But can social media help when you are sad?

Handling pain and grief alone isn’t easy. Increasingly, people are turning to social media to express their emotions and find the comfort they crave when they’re going through a rough patch. Granted, it doesn’t always end right, but sometimes, it can actually help. In fact, some experts also believe that social media could prove to be a very powerful therapeutic tool that could help people grieve and let out their emotions. But how exactly?

Can Social Media Help When You Are Sad?

It Helps you Cope

When it comes to handling negative and difficult emotions, a lot of us struggle to find ways to cope. We either keep those emotions and thoughts to ourselves, or let them all out in the worst possible way at the worst time, putting our relationships at risk. Finding a coping mechanism that actually works for you takes some amount of effort, some external help and a little bit of trial and error, and guess what- social media can help you with just that!

You’ll Find Support in Unexpected Places

Social media is often portrayed in a very negative way- as something that is loud, open and full of criticism. On the other side though, it can also prove to be immensely comforting and a safe platform to open up about intense emotions, pain and grief. Many have felt themselves less isolated and connected with more people going through situations similar to theirs, on social media platforms. Many others found new friends who they could depend on, share their thoughts and feelings with, without being judged, as opposed to what they experienced in real life.

It Helps you Open Up

Bottling up emotions isn’t a great idea- most experts stress a lot on that, and that’s where social media comes in and helps. You’ll find a community where people post their struggles, thoughts and emotions openly, and while there’s a downside to it as well- with all the nasty comments and criticism that’s hardly constructive, there’s a big plus side too- you’ll be able to open up and speak- even if it is not verbally, and more often than not, you’ll find yourself surrounded by people who are incredibly supportive, if not more.

You’ll Find Hope

Apart from feeling supported, social media also helps you find hope, and that’s what makes it the best! From those funny dog or cat videos to personal stories of people going through tough times and finding happiness once again- it can get you in a good mood- especially if that’s something you have been wanting to feel. You’ll find your healthy distractions too with the recipe and DIY videos, and also find courage and strength from the occasional motivational quotes that come up on your feed!

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