Education & Career Success Guide: Parenting tips
Showing posts with label Parenting tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Parenting tips. Show all posts

6 Ways Social Media Negatively Affects Your Mental Health

08:14
6 Ways Social Media Negatively Affects Your Mental Health

The rise of social media has meant that we as a global population are more connected than we have ever been in the history of time.
However, our reliance on social media can have a detrimental effect on our mental health, with the average Brit checking their phone as much 28 times a day.
While social media platforms can have their benefits, using them too frequently can make you feel increasingly unhappy and isolated in the long run.
The constant barrage of perfectly filtered photos that appear on Instagram are bound to knock many people’s self-esteem, while obsessively checking your Twitter feed just before bed could be contributing towards poor quality of sleep.
Here are six ways that social media could be negatively affecting your mental health without you even realizing.
Do the pros of social media outweigh the cons?
Self-esteem
We all have our fair share of insecurities, some that we speak about openly and others that we prefer to keep to ourselves.
However, comparing yourself to others on social media by stalking their aesthetically perfect Instagram photos or staying up to date with their relationship status on Facebook could do little to assuage your feelings of self-doubt.
A study conducted by the University of Copenhagen found that many people suffer from “Facebook envy”, with those who abstained from using the popular site reporting that they felt more satisfied with their lives.
When we derive a sense of worth based on how we are doing relative to others, we place our happiness in a variable that is completely beyond our control.
Becoming more conscious of the amount of time you spend scrolling through other people’s online profiles could help you focus more on yourself and boost your self-confidence.

Human connection


As human beings, it’s so important for us to be able to communicate and forge personal connections with one another.
However, it can be hard to do so when we’re glued to rectangular screens, becoming more acquainted with our friends’ digital facades than their real-life personas.
Stina Sanders, a former model who has 107,000 followers on Instagram, explained how social media sometimes makes her feel like she’s being left out.
“I know from my experience I can get FOMO when I see my friend’s photos of a party I didn’t go to, and this, in turn, can make me feel quite lonely and anxious.”
A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology that assessed 5,208 subjects found that overall, regular use of Facebook had a negative impact on an individual’s well being.

Memory

Social media can be great for looking back fondly on memories and recounting how past events occurred.
However, it can also distort the way in which you remember certain tidbits from your life.
Many of us are guilty of spending far too much time trying to take the perfect photo of a visual marvel, all the while not actually absorbing the firsthand experience of witnessing it with your own two eyes.
If we direct all of our attention toward capturing the best shots for our social media followers to admire, less will be available to enjoy other aspects of the experience in real time.
Spending too much time on our phones will detract from those other aspects of the experience, undermining the happiness we could be gleaning from them.
Going on social media before you go to bed can negatively affect the quality of your sleep
Sleep
Having enough sleep is of paramount importance.
However, many of us use our phones too soon before choosing the hit the hay, making it harder to doze off.
Getting worked up with anxiety or envy from what we see on social media keeps the brain on high alert, preventing us from falling asleep.
Plus, the light from our mobile device just inches from our face can suppress the release of melatonin, a hormone that helps us feel tired.
Try setting yourself a strict rule of not going on your phone for at least 40 minutes to an hour before going to bed, and see if that makes a difference to the quality of your sleep.

Attention span

It’s not just your subconscious brain that you need to worry about, but also the extent to which your brain is able to fully concentrate when you’re awake.
While it’s incredible to consider the amount of information readily available at our fingertips thanks to social media, it also means that people have become far more easily distracted.
Social media has provided a means of constantly giving into the temptation of instant, easy-access entertainment.
If you’re unable to not check your phone for at least a few minutes, then you’d do well to practice exercising your willpower on occasion.

Mental health

Not only has social media been proven to cause unhappiness, but it can also lead to the development of mental health issues such as anxiety or depression when used too much or without caution.
In March, it was reported that more than a third of Generation Z from a survey of 1,000 individuals stated that they were quitting social media for good as 41 per cent stated that social media platforms make them feel anxious, sad or depressed.
While you don’t necessarily have to quit social media for good, if you feel like it’s beginning to bog you down, why not consider allocating social media-free time slots during your daily routine? The slight change could do you a whole lot of good.
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How To Make Sure Your Teenager Gets Enough Sleep

06:40
How To Make Sure Your Teenager Gets Enough Sleep


Increasing academic pressure has increased the time Indian students spend at school or engaged in academic work at home. On top of this technology has entered their life like never before and hence Indians next generation is losing out on their bedtime. In order to make sure that they get enough sleep, some factors need to be kept in mind,

Tips that parents should make sure their children follow.

Daily physical exertion and exercise: Whether it is an invigorating game of football, a round of gully cricket, or just cycling around the neighborhood, physical exertion during the day primes the body to get a good night's sleep. Parents should encourage their children to go outside and play or take a run around a local park for their health, fitness, and bedtime.

As long as the exercise doesn't happen in the 2 hours preceding their bedtime, teenagers will find it easier to wind down and fall asleep peacefully and wake up rested, alert and happy the next morning.


A bedtime for devices: It isn't just teenagers - 25 percent of adults are also spending precious time watching shows on TVs and smart phones that should have ideally been expended in sleeping and becoming prepared for the next day.

Jokes about the age-old argument between parents and children about bedtime and late-night TV watching apart, all devices in the household should be retired at least an hour before the children's bedtime. This includes smartphones, laptop computers and televisions. 

Parents can join their children in this exercise to keep the protests to a minimum, and also get some better sleep themselves! Teenagers can read a book or the family can play board games instead of staying glued to the television and then staying up until midnight.

Complete darkness in the bedroom: The science on the subject is absolutely clear - the best sleep is enjoyed in darkness, as the lack of light triggers the body and sends it a critical signal that it is now time to sleep.
Light exposure at the time of sleep through bright lights outside the window or the harsh blue glare of a lit-up smartphone on the bedside table stimulates alertness, which makes healthy, abundant and refreshing sleep harder to achieve. 

Design the teenager's bedroom to prevent unwanted light exposure. For younger children, a nightlight with a red bulb is ideal as light at that wavelength is less disruptive than other colours and wavelengths.

A comfortable mattress: Even the most exhausted child will find it hard to sleep even in the darkest room if their bed is uncomfortable. Parents and children should ensure that their bed is clean and that the mattress is comfortable and provides the kind of back and body support that helps the children rest.
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Tips to successful parenting

06:45
Tips to successful parenting
It is important that we bring up our children in a way that gives them a sense of responsibility, builds their self-esteem and makes them feel loved. With nuclear families becoming the norm, parenting is getting to be more trying. Here are some tips to bring up healthy happy children.
Tips to successful parenting
 
1.       Talk with and listen to your child: In today’s busy lives, we are often thinking about the next thing that we have to do, instead of giving 100 percent attention to what our child is saying to us. We often pretend to listen, or even ignore our child’s attempts to communicate with us. Your child’s self-esteem is greatly influenced by the quality of time you spend with him/her, not the quantity of time. It is important to make eye contact and use gentle touch when communicating with your child and be sure to share smiles and hugs
2.       Be your child’s first source of information: Encouraging your children by asking questions makes it easier for them to ask questions as well. By answering your child’s 1questions with honesty, you can create a relationship of mutual trust and respect that can prevent your child from developing unsafe habits.
3.       Understand your child’s needs: The real expert is yourself when in the case your child’s needs. You should know your child’s development – social, intellectual, physical, emotional and moral – and there is nothing to be ashamed of. Tuitions and counseling should not be considered as taboo.
4.       Cherish your child’s individuality: Encourage your kid’s talents and interests. Spend as much as time alone with your kid’s every day. Approve your kid’s differences and avoid comparing them or asking why you are not like someone else. Comparisons do not always encourage competitive spirit, as wrongly assumed by many.
5.       Appreciate the value of play: Play is crucial to all aspects of a kid’s development, but is often overlooked as a valuable tool. Play can obstruct discipline problems, offer a natural way for children to learn, and is extremely important in the formation of a positive relationship between parent and child. The best of learning and the best of bonding happen during play.
6.       Separate the deed from the doer: Never tell your children that they are bad. That lowers their self-esteem. Help your child understand that it isn’t that you don’t like him/her. But it is their behavior that you are unwilling to accept. In order for a child to have healthy self-esteem, he/she must know that they are loved unconditionally no matter what they do. Never try to motivate your child by withdrawing your love from him/her.
7.       Teach your child right from wrong: A child understands of right and wrong develops slowly, from within.  Teach your children the code of moral conduct and lay the groundwork for them to develop their own moral guide. This is best done by narrating exemplary stories, and not by sermonizing.
8.       Use logical consequences for discipline:  A consequence for the child must be logically related to the behavior in order for it to work. For example, if your child draws up a huge phone bill and you ground him/her for a week, that punishment will only create resentment within your children. However, if you deduct the amount from his/her pocket money, then your child can see the logic behind your discipline.
9.       Encourage all-round development: Provide healthy meals and snacks and model good habits. Give confidence exercise by being active with your child and limiting time in front of the television. Support your child’s efforts in school and provide opportunities to learn and explore by visiting the library, museums and other places of interest. Participate actively in your child’s holiday homework, encouraging all the practical activities.
10.   Set yourself as a role model: Model and teach good safety habits and establish routines. Discuss and enforce rules that work for your family – for example, putting away toys after play, keeping the books decently, etc.
11.   Make time for family activities: A sense of belonging is enhanced when families take to engage in common activities such as having meals together and sharing tasks and responsibilities. Use family time to discuss needs and feelings, and to solve problems. Going for regular family holidays goes a long way in promoting bonding.
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