4 Tips to Prevent Facebook Stress

Facebook is all about connecting with others, and that’s generally one of the best stress-busters around. But like anything else, Facebook has its downside. There are times when it may be more hindrance than help, emotionally speaking. Here are four stressful mistakes to avoid.

Don’t share everything with everyone.

The more social circles you belong to online, the more likely you are to suffer from Facebook stress, according to a recent report from the University of Edinburgh Business School in Scotland. The researchers surveyed more than 300 Facebook users, mostly college students.

The problem, they found, is that different groups of online friends may have very different reactions to photos of partying or status updates laced with expletives. Not surprisingly, becoming Facebook friends with parents or employers led to the greatest anxiety for these young adults.

That doesn’t mean you have to unfriend Mom, Dad, and the boss. A better solution is to use Facebook’s privacy settings to manage which friends see which photos and updates. Yet only one-third of those in the survey had taken that simple step.

Cooking Tips to Reduce Your Stress

Don’t post too many negative updates.

If you’re insecure in face-to-face social situations, online social networking can be a great alternative. Just don’t bombard others with too many negative details about your life.

In a study published in Psychological Science, researchers from the University of Waterloo in Canada asked college students to share their last 10 status updates from Facebook. The updates were then rated for how positive or negative they were, and a stranger also rated how likable the person who wrote them seemed to be. Students with low self-esteem tended to post more negative updates, and that made them come across as less likable.

The same principle applies online as in offline interactions: Occasional venting is fine, but constant negativity puts other people off.

10 Simple Ways to Leave Stress Behind

Don’t log in if it makes you miserable.

A study from Utah Valley University found that longtime Facebook users were more likely to believe that life is unfair, compared to newer users. Those who spent a lot of time on Facebook were also more likely to believe that others had happier, better lives than they did.

When you’re feeling good about yourself and the world, you probably recognize that the face people present on Facebook is intentionally selective, skewed toward flattering photos and upbeat news. But when you’re down, it’s harder to keep things in perspective. You might start to believe that other people’s lives are really perfect—and wonder why yours isn’t, too.

Potentially, this might worsen depressed feelings, if you’re already predisposed that way. As a rule of thumb, if logging in to Facebook makes you miserable, don’t do it.

Don’t obsess over an ex’s Facebook page.

Constantly checking up on an ex through Facebook makes it harder to get over a breakup, according to a study in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. The study’s author from Brunel University in England surveyed more than 400 Facebook users with a former romantic partner who was also on the site.

Frequently checking an ex’s Facebook page was associated with greater distress over the breakup, more longing for the ex, and less personal growth. Even when offline contact was taken into account, online monitoring of the ex’s activities and friends still seemed to interfere with emotional healing.

Staying Facebook friends with an ex works for some people. But if you find yourself obsessing over an ex’s Facebook page, hit “unfriend” and move on.

Learn About The 10 Least Healthy Jobs

——————————