11/12/2025
Do you ever pick up your phone for a quick check... and suddenly an hour’s gone.
Your heart feels heavier, not lighter. Sound familiar?
This week, our blog explores how social media shapes our emotions and how we can reclaim peace, presence, and perspective. 🌿
Read it below or at this link 🔗 👇
https://www.helpforanxietydepression.com/blog/is-social-media-making-us-crazy/
Don't forget to listen to the related podcast where Straight Talk Sandra Reich is joined by Georgia Dow to discuss this subject in more detail.
Is Social Media Making Us Crazy?
Week of November 10th
Ever catch yourself instinctively opening Instagram, or going on tiktok without realizing it? Maybe you feel a sense of anxiety during or after scrolling your feed. Whatever your feelings are towards social media, you are not alone. For a lot of us, social media apps (like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc) have become both a lifeline and a landmine. They’re a place to make contact with like minded-individuals and form connections with a diverse population, but they’re not only positive. Unfortunately, social media is also a chasm of never ending comparison, pressure, and sometimes even toxic opinions.
We all experience social media in different ways. A whisper quiet desire to check notifications, or that sinking feeling when a post doesn’t perform as well as expected. Maybe it’s even a cloud of self-doubt that rains over you when everyone else shares their “perfect” lives. No matter which side of social media you’re on, the way you react to the exposure isn’t a quirk of modernity. These feelings and desires are all a result of the psychological reactions built into the design of these apps and how in turn, your brain is interpreting them.
The question isn’t only, Is Social Media Making Us Crazy?, it’s how. In what way is social media responsible for the alteration of our sense of self, our relationships, and our ability to be present for one and other.
At its core, social media’s grip on society can be attributed to a powerful neurotransmitter. Also known as the Reward Chemical, Dopamine is the key to the addictive nature of social media. This chemical is released when we experience pleasure or new. Every time the public interacts with a post, a small bit of dopamine is released. Each like, comment, and new follower trigger what is called a dopamine hit. The trick here is that dopamine doesn’t just make us feel good, it settles deep in our brains and causes us to want more. The intermittent reward systems found in gambling are reflected in the nature of social media. The unpredictability of the public and their reaction to our posts is what hooks us. It’s not the reward of attention itself that keeps us coming back, rather it’s the anticipation of it that has us stuck in a loop. This is how we refresh our feeds without realising. Our unconscious brain seeks the validation, stimulation, and connection that it receives from behind the screen. That one quick scroll turns into half-an-hour because our brains are caught in a loop of dopamine release.
The lives of others always seem so glamorous online. Shopping trips, seaside vacations, and expensive luxury items crowd our screens and prompt our comparative minds. On social media, the line between connection and comparison becomes blurred. Keeping up with friends and family quickly becomes a comparison study between our lives and the lives of social media influencers. Though the rational part of your mind may see someone’s engagement post, success story, or overzealous gratitude and recognize it’s filtered, staged, and edited: A small part of your brain still asks, “Why not me?” Various studies show that social comparison via social media is linked to anxiety, depression, and lower self-esteem. It all stems from that same upwards comparison. Constantly seeing how much others have and comparing it to your lack thereof, chips away at your self-worth. It activates feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt, which are extremely dangerous to your sense of self, especially if you’re already struggling with some insecurity. Since our brains are wires for real and reciprocal connection, many users report feeling more lonely after being on social media. This is because even though originally created as a way to connect people, social media cannot replace the quality of connection shared when two people are in a room together. Seeing others live, what appear to be, full lives while we simply observe intensifies the feeling of isolation.
Beyond forming a “not good enough” schema, social media can also trigger more subtle forms of anxiety. It is so subtle we don’t even realize it’s happening, until it is. This happens when we post something and constantly check for reactions. The need to check isn’t because you actually want to know what people think. Much like why we hesitate to share our reality online, we fear judgement. This self-censorship is a sign of anxious social media use. When we scroll late at night, even though our mood consistently declines, we’re avoiding the feelings of anxiety. Making your life public opens the door for criticism that is unpleasant. This fear of being judged and inability to stop yourself from being online causes our nervous systems to be constantly on. This constant stimulation is called hyperarousal. The body’s stress response is activated by things that appear like danger, such as rejection, exclusion, and criticism, but that aren’t physically there. Over time, this chronic anxiety leaves its mark. We become more irritable, fatigued, distractable, and even psychically tense. What’s exhausting about social media is that it forces our brains to be stuck in a constant state of anxiety, waiting for cues of acceptance or rejection.
The majority of the public believes that their feed is personalized as a result of their choices. In reality, the way your feed is built is for maximum engagement instead of optimized well-being. The longer you spend scrolling on social media, the more data the algorithm can collect, and then further curate the perfect feed to keep you hooked. Negatively connotated, emotionally charged content generates more views, and is therefore the primary type of content you are shown. Anger, outrage, and insecurity are powerful players in keeping you online. The more anxious and drained you feel after scrolling, the better this design worked on you. It’s not a personal failure, it’s the exact purpose of the platform.
The good news is that now that you know the basics of how social media works, you can change your habits. The key to setting boundaries and using it intentionally lies with becoming more conscious of how the internet affects you. Instead of blindly becoming data in the algorithm, try these strategies to reclaim your mind.
Keep track of your emotions: Before and after you scroll, take a moment to reflect inwards. Take note of how you feel. Are you more anxious, sad, or restless? Being aware of the emotional impacts of social media can help break the cycle of automated scrolling without purpose.
Curate your feed: Unfollow any accounts that you make you feel negative emotions. By clearly showing displeasure, the algorithm will alter itself for fear of losing you as a consumer. Instead, interact with creators who uplift, educate, or ground you. Social media should be a reflection of your values and hobbies, not your insecurities.
Set digital boundaries: To decrease your enmeshment with social media, choose some designated “scroll free” time. Leave your phone out of reach at meals, or before bed. Even a short break can provide your nervous system with enough time to reset.
For some individuals, social media habits reflect symptoms of deeper needs. Social media can be used as a way to escape boredom, loneliness, or difficult emotions. Constant scrolling could be a sign of avoidance. The lives of others offer quick comfort for any of the negative feelings we are experiencing. When we feel anxious, unfulfilled, uncertain, social media can be a quick distraction but does not solve the problem. Over time this creates a pattern of emotional self-numbing. Where instead of facing emotions, and understanding them, we ignore them until they disappear. The problem with that is, emotions don’t just dissipate into thin air, really what’s happening is they’re being bottled up and are manifested in different ways. Recognizing this pattern is the key to holding all the power. Approach this awareness with curiosity rather than guilt. Don’t shame yourself for spending time online, instead ask thoughtful questions that can reveal the truth of why you’re reaching for your phone.
Social media isn’t all bad. It connects us to people who we’d otherwise never meet, or even hear of. It can be a source of creativity, learning, and social activism. When it starts to control us, by dictating our mood, confidence, and self worth, it’s a good idea to take a step back. At its core, putting distance between you and social media is about restoring balance and building a healthier relationship with the apps. The goal isn’t to delete every app, it’s to reground yourself with intention instead of impulse and improve your emotional resilience.
Interested in learning more about Social Media and Mental Health? Listen to our Clinical Director’s Podcast, Straight Talk with Sandra Reich, and gain more insights into the inner workings of your anxious mind.
Is Social Media Making Us Crazy?
About the Episode
Do you find yourself checking your Facebook more than you would want to admit?
Does not getting 'Likes' send you into a frenzy or make you anxious?
Do you compare yourself to others based on their Social Media status?
If so this is the show for you.
Sandra will discuss how social media is affecting all our lives and have a frank discussion with a courageous colleague who finds himself being just too affected by social media. The underneath of why this might happen will be discussed.
Don't miss this fascinating hour on how social media can wreak havoc on your self-esteem instead of being an effective application. Find out how to not get caught in the trap-there are strategies...
Listen to it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkqZZGU3RkQ
Enjoyed Sandra’s insights? Subscribe to our YouTube channel and Follow us on INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK for daily tips, tricks, and inspiration.
Do you find yourself constantly scrolling? Social media is designed in a way that keeps you lock in. At The Montreal Center for Anxiety and Depression we have top specialists who can teach you to draw boundaries and reclaim control over your social media feed. It would be our absolute pleasure to match you with a therapist who can help you build your emotional resilience.
To find your therapist now, give us a call at 514 777-4530 today. We would love to help you, and get you started on your journey. Change your life… TODAY!
