Emotional Wellness in the Age of TikTok |
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Emotional wellness requires more than social media advice and quick fixes.
Despite advances in science and technology, mental health problems have increased over the last 100 years.
Change is built on the seven pillars of emotional wellness that help people to be, do, and think differently.
Your inbox likely contains various emails this month on mental health awareness. How do you distinguish between useful and unhelpful information? Not everything labeled “helpful advice” truly offers value. To understand what it means to be emotionally well-balanced under pressure, we need a clear framework that goes beyond superficial tips.
Journalists interested in the use of TikTok to dispense mental health advice recently asked a panel of mental health experts about the advice that was provided on the platform. The experts concluded that over half of the information on TikTok about mental health was incorrect. If that were not concerning enough, research has demonstrated that anyone regularly using TikTok will be at an increased risk of experiencing depression and anxiety, especially those under the age of 24.
Society has made tremendous advances in technology, science, and health care over the past century. At the same time, very little progress has been made in the levels of emotional wellness that people experience. Considering the increased rates of suicide, depression, anxiety, and overdose over the past 100 years, people are experiencing far more emotional distress now than ever. More adults live alone now (15 percent) than in the 1960s (7 percent). Mental health problems are increasing even though there is more emphasis on personal happiness, self-esteem, and individual........