Is your Social Network Causing you Stress?

No, I’m not asking you if Facebook posts are causing you stress; I am asking you if your personal connections (in everyday life) are hindering emotionally more then you may realize. Over the past couple of weeks, Allison has been posting about Social Networks and their importance. But distancing yourself from members of your network who may actually be hindering you instead of encouraging and supporting you can be just as important.

Stress can come from a variety of triggers – not always human. To identify the factors that may be causing you stress, try keeping a stress log for a few days. When you get stressed, jot down the events and people who cause you to have a negative physical, mental or emotional response. Give a brief description of the situation. Where were you? Who was involved? Also, describe your reaction. Did you feel frustrated, angry or nervous?

Now, looking back at your log, can you pin-point a particular event(s), person(s), or situation(s) which cause you stress? What can you do differently in the future to elevate or reduce the cause of the stress? Maybe it IS people’s Facebook posts that are stressing you out! Perhaps you need to delete Debbie Downer from your list of friends or hide all comments from Mr. I-LOVE-TO-POST-PICS-OF-EVERYTHING-I-EAT!

Have you ever wondered why and how social media boomed the way it did about 6 years ago? It is because we all want to feel as if we are part of a group. And social media networks such as MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and others lets us “belong”. Sources such as the Mayo Clinic indicate that there are known benefits of being part of a network. It is helpful and exciting to explore how you can benefit from growing your network. Just remember that like most growing things, pruning that network is sometimes helpful too.

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