Facebook: Friend or Foe?

 By Charity Adams MA, LPC

 

There seems to be two schools of thought where Facebook is concerned.  One: It is the greatest invention of all time and may in fact save us all!  Two: It will be responsible for the next apocalypse.   

 Articles are published everyday discussing the benefits of social media and how our society is more connected and informed.  Flip the page however and you will read that we are growing more narcissistic and self-involved as we increase our time online.  So where is the middle ground in all of this?  How much time is too much time to spend online?  Are these new social media platforms bringing us together or pulling us apart?  What does all of this mean for you or you children (a concern I hear regularly).  

 

What we like about Facebook

• Connections.  A very considerable amount of research has been conducted on what makes people feel happy and content.  Thanks to the diligence of these researchers we know that being part of a supportive social network is something that will increase our happiness and ward off depression.  When we are experiencing depressive symptoms one of the most powerful things we can do is surround ourselves with people who make us feel important and validated as unique individuals.  None of the research says we have to be in the same room to experience the benefits of connectedness.  For individuals who are seeking to maintain or reestablish supportive connections and friendships, Facebook is a life line in doing so.

 

• Familial interaction. Now I realize that many people will say Facebook and the internet in general cut down on family time, however I believe this is slightly exaggerated.  For example, my family members are scattered throughout the country.  Without the use of Facebook I would never be able to see my cousin’s dance performance, and likely, wouldn’t get the photos of their Christmas tree until mid-March.  Being able to keep up with what they are doing on a daily basis and discuss events that matter to them keeps us more involved and reinforces our family bond.  When we do get the opportunity to visit one another in person, we have much more to discuss.  I feel more a part of their life than I would otherwise.

 

• Validation.  Facebook allows for regular validation from those in which you care.  We are given reinforcement that we are valued and understood by others (two basic human necessities).  Historically, our survival has depended on being part of a group.  To ensure our place in the group, we seek acceptance and reassurance that we will remain part of the group, thus increasing the likelihood of our survival.  The need for validation is in our DNA.  

 Facebook also allows for the increased opportunity to validate others (an even more rewarding activity).  Getting out of your own headspace for a while and empathizing with others is a moving and important part of achieving fulfillment.  You gain perspective on your own situations and feel necessary to others (even more rewarding!)

 

What we don’t like about Facebook

• Connections. Facebook stalking your friends and old acquaintances can have a rather negative effect.  Many have developed what I will term the “social media mask.”  Every picture is photoshop perfect, every relationship beyond reproach, and everyone’s child is an overachiever.  Day after day, we look at Facebook and think how much better everyone is than we are right now.  How very “together” they all appear.  We are removed from seeing that everyone has pain.  We overlook the fact that suffering is part of being human because we look around and think, “no one else is sad…what’s wrong with me?”  In an effort to feel more connected to others we can often end up feeling more isolated and different.  Worse we compare our real lives to the fake persona of everyone else (who could compete with that?!).

 

• Familial Interaction.  How many arguments have been started thanks to Facebook, or worse via Facebook?    Recently a father in Chicago drew much attention when he posted a video of himself that ultimately ended in shooting eight bullets into his daughters laptop after he had seen her post something he felt was inappropriate on Facebook.  His actions and the reasons for them, sparked a heated debate about parenting the Facebook Generation.

 For many families, every afternoon is a battle over social media. Parents report that many of their nights go a little something like this:  “Get off Facebook, and do your homework,” “Put down your phone, and eat dinner with us,” “Close the IPad, and go to bed.”  Of course these comments are often followed by, “You don’t understand,” “This isn’t fair,” “But it’s important.”  As social media sites make it easier for us to connect over distances, it may decrease our “in house” interaction.  Why talk to the person next to you when you could be Facebooking dozens of people at once?  Why inquire about someone’s day when you can simply read status updates?

 And it’s not just a parent/child conflict.  How many times have you sat next to your best friend or significant other without talking while you both surf Facebook?  You can go to any restaurant and see the phenomenon first hand.  People sitting at a table not talking while staring at their phones is a common sight.  Spending so much time typing our thoughts rather than interacting with other people, we may find it uncomfortable to talk or touch when we are actually in the same room (or paying for nice dinners, as the case may be).

 

• Validation. This is one of those cases where you can have too much of a good thing.  Having the opportunity to be validated by others so regularly via Facebook, we can become lazy in areas of self validation.  Many people begin to lose the ability to feel good about themselves without reinforcement from others.  They need the opinions of others to tell them what to think about themselves.  You can imagine how dangerous this becomes.  If your self-image hinges on someone else’s approval, you are dependent on their assessment.  If you aren’t validated to the level you need or worse, you receive negative responses, then you are left feeling unlovable.

 Interestingly, we create a silent competition with other people on Facebook.  For example, maybe you post something and receive 10 “likes.”  You feel good about this until you notice that someone else received 20 “likes.”  Now, you feel like less than that person.  You start to wonder why you aren’t as good as the other person and why people like them more.  This can go on and on.  You can also compete for the “gold” in other categories as well: number of friends, number of tags, number of pokes or mentions.  In the end, what may have felt good and validating now isn’t good enough when compared to the validation others are receiving.

 

 

These items are just the short list, as there are dozens of areas we could examine when thinking about the role social media plays in our lives.  As you can see, much of what is good about Facebook is also bad.  In most areas of our lives, this is the case.  Positives and negatives can be found in anything.  Understanding and recognizing the negatives, monitoring your thoughts and feelings where those negatives are concerned, and making the choice to surround yourself more readily with positive influences are all ways to minimize negative effects.  Like it or not, Facebook is now a part of our culture, and for some it is a part of daily life.  Learning how to get the benefits while not allowing unhealthy habits to form is an important part of living in our time.  Facebook and social media sites are intriguing, especially as they relate to the influence they have on our lives.  I could go on about how our perceptions are being shaped by the ever changing online world, but I really need to go update my status.   

Be Mine…

By Charity Adams MA, LPC

 

 

Compassion is valuable trait.  Our society teaches us that compassion for others is paramount to being a “good person”.  We should care for our fellow man, nurture our friends and family and sooth those in pain.  As a general rule we are expected to be supportive and empathetic towards those around us.  While many of us have mastered these skills in dealing with others, very rarely do we turn those techniques inwards and treat ourselves with the same level of care.

Instead we beat ourselves up and become our own worst enemies.  There are few who can punish us as well as we can punish ourselves and we do so on a regular basis.  Many of us don’t dare fall asleep without replaying all the events of the day and chastising ourselves for any perceived failures, embarrassments or weaknesses.  We judge ourselves harshly and offer very little consolation in doing so.  While this way of thinking never makes us feel any better we continue with the same negative statements day after day.  Feeling worse and worse, it becomes more and more difficult to maintain a healthy self-image and optimistic outlook on the future.  

Even when confronted with the fact that we treat ourselves so badly, many people will say that it is serving a purpose.  Some feel that it is how they motivate themselves to “do better” or that they “deserve it” after they way they behaved.  Truth is, what we so easily do to ourselves pushes us into a negative pattern that fosters depression and self-loathing rather than truly making us feel better or achieve our goals. 

So how do we change these long ingrained and socially sanctioned behaviors?  Honestly self love isn’t as easy as it may sound, it takes work as well as practice to be kind and compassionate to yourself.  Here are some tips to get you started, but keep in mind that working with a professional therapist can also go a long way towards helping you develop and maintain healthy habits of self-care.  

 

Listen to yourself

• The first step in ending negative self-talk is to notice that it is happening.  Much of what we think is unconscious and automatic.  Being aware of when you are telling yourself that you “aren’t good enough” is essential so that you can replace this self-defeating line of thinking and replace it with positive and caring phrases

 

Cut yourself a break

• It’s not enough to just realize you are beating yourself up, you have to change the behavior…this is where the hard part comes in.  One way to cut yourself a break is to think of others.  Would you ever say what you are saying to someone else?  Would you ever tell them they aren’t good enough?  Would you say “You are such a looser!”, “Wow you are the worst mom ever!”, “You will never be able to do that!”.  Most likely you wouldn’t.  Instead you would offer sympathy for the pain they are feeling.  You would probably validate some of what they are going through.  “That must have been so difficult for you.”, “Of course you were upset.  Who wouldn’t be?”.  You may offer them encouragement “It will be fine.  Things always have a way of working out.”  “You are incredibly smart and gifted.  You’ll get it the next time.”  
• Talk to yourself as you would a close friend.  What would you say to someone who was feeling the way you are?  What would tell your friend who was struggling?  Use these same statements on yourself.  Offer validation to yourself and your feelings just as you would a close friend.  Give yourself the same compassionate statements you would to someone else.  It may feel out of the ordinary, but that is the point.  Over time you will notice a lightening in your pain.  You may even realize that you are giving yourself exactly what you have been needing.

 

Put the gavel down..

• Put an end to the judgment of yourself and others.  Now I realize this is one of America’s favorite past times, and we all love our Judge Judy and American Idol, but daily judgement of others isn’t doing us any good.
• Our culture thrives on fostering a competitive attitude.  We all strive to be the best.  Being the fastest, smartest, funniest, thinest, strongest (pretty much anything you can add an “ist” to) is very important.  We may tell ourselves that we aren’t good enough unless we are “better” than others.  Of course this is an impossible task that keeps satisfaction and fulfillment just out of reach.
• In an effort to be “more” we often feel the need to make those around us “less”.  We judge others negatively so that we can feel better about ourselves.  “You may be rich, but your unattractive.”, “Well of course you make good grades, you have no social life.”  It can go on and on.  
• While this may make us feel better about ourselves in the short term, it has a longer lasting negative effect on us that we often don’t realize.  By judging others we assume they are also judging us in the same way.  We feel that other people are always watching and judging us negatively.  We begin to do the same thing to ourselves, making negative judgments more readily.  
• To prevent those around us from ridiculing us out loud, we fall into the pattern of doing it for them.  Kristin Neff PhD talks about why we do this to ourselves in her book “Self-Compassion”.  Neff says “It’s as if we are saying, I’m going to beat you to the punch and criticize myself before you can.  I recognize how flawed and imperfect I am so you don’t have to cut me down and tell me what I already know.”
• Unfortunately, this type of behavior doesn’t make us feel any better.  Instead we are only reinforcing negative self-talk and our inability to accept that all humans are flawed and that is okay.

 

Practice Self-Acceptance

• Pain, suffering, weakness, and failures are part of the human condition we all share.  While we put on a good face and pretend that we are “perfect” we aren’t.  Watching others fain perfection through fake smiles and Facebook pages often leaves us feeling alone in our pain.
• Recognizing that these are emotions felt by everyone, we can begin to feel more connected to others and more likely to allow ourselves acceptance.
• Understanding that you are enough, just the way you are, is a powerful realization.  You are a unique and special individual, deserving of the right to compassion and love.    
• And if you though that was a difficult concept to wrap your head around here is an even harder one: There is nothing you can do to make yourself more or less deserving of these rights.  That’s how birthrights work, thankfully.  To qualify for the right to be happy, loved, cared for and valued all you have to be is you.  Absolutely nothing else is required.  
• Give yourself a mantra such as “I am enough” to remind yourself of those rights and combat negative self-talk.  Repeat your mantra whenever you feel overwhelmed with negativity.

 

As I said in the beginning of this article such change can be challenging.  We do not develop habits overnight and thus do not break them in that time frame.  Working with a professional counselor who can offer unconditional positive regard in a safe and nurturing environment is incredibly helpful as you begin to make these profound changes in your thinking.  Utilizing supportive friends and family, to help you see the positive and feel accepted is also of great benefit.  Practicing self-compassion can bring about a new lease on life and offer you the fulfillment your birthright affords.  Be your own best friend this Valentine’s Day and reap the benefits all year long.

Tis’ the Season for Anxiety

By: Charity Adams M.A., LPC 

As the holidays approach it can feel more like a speeding bullet train heading towards us than a yule tide gathering of loved ones.  We often get bogged down with lists: to-do lists, grocery lists, gift lists, card lists…it goes on and on.  So what is there to do when the season of giving turns into the season of stress?  How do we manage all the people, parties, and tasks involved in coming together to celebrate?  Here are a few quick tips to tone down the anxiety of the holidays and give yourself the gift of a fun and enjoyable season.

 

• Minimize the decorating

For those of you who love to decorate and find it an enjoyable and soothing experience to hang stockings, douse the staircase with garland, and pin up lights to every corner of the yard, I say, “keep up the good work!”  If you love Christmas decorating then make that a priority in your holiday planning.  On the other hand if you find yourself tangled in strands of garland wondering “why me?” then put down the decorations and back away slowly.  You don’t have to have tinsel hanging from every surface or three different Christmas tress to have a wonderful and satisfying holiday.  You simply need the items that you find important.  Let the rest go and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate instead.  

 

• Prioritize the “lists”

As I said we often find ourselves overrun with lists this time of year.  Rather than attempting to do every last possible holiday related activity, make a priority list.  Ask yourself “What are the things that I need to have a great holiday?  What things would I truly miss if I didn’t have them?”  Do you have to attend every party?  Do you really have to visit every family member who would like to see you, or can you simply call them to let them know that you care for them and are thinking of them?  Do you have to bake cookies for every neighbor?  Take the items that you enjoy doing and the memories you cherish most from past holidays and make those the priorities.  Then, let the others go.  Remember that being relaxed and in good spirits during the holiday rather than running around trying to fit everything and everyone in isn’t going to give you or anyone else the holiday you’re working so hard to create.

 

• Stop Competing

Without consciously knowing it we often find ourselves competing with those around us.  We silently compare ourselves to the people in our lives.  “Sally did this, this, and this, and she still had time to do this…I should be able to too.”  “Their decorations looks so much better than mine.”  It can become overwhelming.  Take yourself out of the cutest Christmas card contest and let go of the “who attended what function” scorecard.  You’re holiday is YOUR holiday and doesn’t need to look like anyone else’s.  Besides, no one is actually going to show up and give you a trophy for winning this competition, so who and what are you really doing it for?

 

• Don’t slouch on Self-Care

The best thing you can do for the people you love it take care of yourself.  Putting off that enjoyable hobby, ditching the gym, or giving up that massage will cost you more in the long run.  When we become overwhelmed with “to-do” lists, feel stressed, or pressured, we often cut out the things we do for ourselves to make time for everything else.  Unfortunately, this means we aren’t doing those things to the best of our abilities because we aren’t at our best.  Take care of you so that you can take care of others around you.

 

• Stay in the Moment

Happiness can be lost or found in the moment.  Stay focused on what is right in front of you, regardless of the lists looming in the background.  Forget about “what’s next” and focus on “what’s now.”  Every situation poses an opportunity for joy.  Sometimes seeing it takes effort, but it is there.  If you are finding it difficult to stay in the moment and find those things that bring happiness, try starting a gratitude journal.  Write down the things you are grateful for at the end of the day.  You may find yourself seeking those things out like a child with a “Where’s Waldo” book.

 

Remember the holidays are meant to be a time of joy and reconnection.  It doesn’t take a tower of gifts or a perfectly prepared turkey to accomplish that.  It only takes a positive attitude and a little perspective to make the memories you are striving to create.  

 

Happy Holidays from Noyau Wellness!

Some of you may be asking yourself “what the heck does Noyau mean anyway?” It’s a question we were asked often as we went through the process of seeing our dream for a collaborative, holistic wellness center come to life. Luckily it has an easy answer: Core.

Noyau is a French word meaning simply “core”. When we visualized a center where people could come and have their lives transformed with a positive, total mind and body experience, the first decision we had to make was what to name it. We barely gave the question much thought to be honest with you. Not because choosing a name would prove to be easy but because we knew it would. As it turns out naming your goals is difficult, even for two therapists! But as the weeks went on we saw that our name would symbolize more than a location or letter head logo. It would speak about us, symbolize us, the very core of us and thus Noyau came into being.

Once we moved past creating a name and what it meant, the really important questions started popping up. “What do you do?” Fortunately, this one was easy to answer because it was something we had both spent considerable time focusing on in our daydreams. We had noticed a gap in the healthcare system, a gap that could easily be remedied with collaboration.

Routinely we referred our clients to other practitioners in the area who offered services we ourselves could not provide to them. Being therapists we could expertly work with clients on the behavioral, cognitive, and emotional side of issues plaguing them, yet work in that one area alone will not always get a client where they need to be. While we could see the other areas that needed to be addressed and refer our clients to experts in those fields, rarely could all of the practitioners meet and collaborate on how best to serve the client. But what if they could?

The more we discussed what a benefit it would be to have multiple therapists from various professions under one roof, the stronger our determination grew. Collaboration would be the key to our vision. But who to collaborate with? Who in our minds would make up a therapeutic “dream team” of practitioners?

And yet again we were stuck. We knew the mind body connection was instrumental in the lives of each of our clients as well as ourselves. We also knew that to treat only one area would hamper the ability for successful life long change. Accordingly, we had to include practitioners that would work towards helping others achieve that goal of fulfillment. There were many options for us to examine, which we did, adding months of to the process of opening our doors to the public.

Not only did we want to consider who was needed, but what was lacking in the facilities that were readily available. We wanted to offer services that were in tune with our vision for the future of wellness. Ultimately we decided a more natural, holistic approach would afford our clients the greatest probability for success.

This is not to say that we are anti-conventional medicine, quite the opposite actually. Every person who walks through our doors is seen as an individual, unique in their history, their experiences and their biological make up. For some, medical intervention is a necessity, one that we whole heartily encourage. For this reason, we have many close ties to physicians, specialists, and psychiatrists in the community.

However, medication is not for everyone. Contrary to popular belief there is no such thing as a “happy pill”. Many of our clients seek alternatives to medication for their treatment, which is why our practice includes the grouping of experts that it does.

Holistic medicine has a long history. It includes acupuncture, natural remedies, vitamins and nutrient supplements to treat a wide range of both mental and physical ailments. In line with that is also massage and body work, both of which are cornerstones at Noyau. The next piece that we decided would be fundamental to a well rounded and balanced collaboration would be nutrition.

Along with the counseling services we provide, these professions make up what we believe is an equation for positive living. Giving clients the experience of working with a group of experienced practitioners who work alongside them as one team, with one goal, that is our vision…that is Noyau.