Issue link: https://blog.providence.org/i/1009460
Hopelab & Well Being Trust 90 Appendix "It just helps me feel outside myself for a bit and find interesting topics I'd like to ponder on. When you're depressed, it's easy to get caught in a loop but through actively reading every day through social media I can always be preoccupied with information." – 20 year-old White female "It directs my focus elsewhere. I can laugh at other people being silly, or animals being cute." – 17-year-old Latina female. "It makes me feel better because I can read encouragement and find inspiration to keep myself motivated when I am feeling anxious. I can reach out or comment on a photo or a post that I relate to or that I admire to make the other person feel good too." – 19 year-old female "If I'm feeling depressed, getting on Twitter and seeing funny tweets or watching funny videos on YouTube can really brighten my mood. And when I'm feeling anxious, it's a good way to keep my mind thinking about other things by reading people's posts rather than thinking about how nervous I am, especially in public." – 21 year-old White female "I follow a lot of positive pages on social media, so I feel better when I see a funny video or a cute video. I guess it's better put like this: I would rather have a bunch of small moments where I feel the smallest bit of happiness or relief than to have a nev- er-ending feeling of depression or anxiety." – 21 year-old Latina female "It's much easier for me to reach out for help on social media than in person. There's less pressure and I can leave it there and live my life outside of it without thinking about it too much. It's also a place for me to share my music and art and see other people's work when I wouldn't be able to otherwise, so that creative outlet is extremely helpful to me." – 22 year-old Latina female "My family and friends offer their positive opinions and support." – 22 year-old Latino male "Take my mind of off things by seeing what other people are doing and often being inspired by their posts." – 21 year-old Latino male "Social media makes me laugh and keeps me distracted so that I have time to breathe and collect myself." – 22 year-old respondent "Sometimes, I can temporarily distract myself when I'm feeling down, or I can look up tips for self-help (ex. links to guided meditation, yoga, etc.)" – 22 year-old female "I'm able to talk to people who have experienced what I have and are able to share what they did to fix their issues." – 21-year-old Black female "I can post something and fish for people who understand what I wrote about to relate with me." – 14-year-old White male "I use it to browse memes and other internet culture things that make me laugh and forget why I'm upset. I also like looking at my friends' pages, especially when they don't live in the same state as I, because it makes me feel closer to them." – 20-year-old Latina female "By connecting to some of the online friends I've already met, they help support me. I use it to share music or memes that make us laugh, slowly taking the sorrow away." – 21-year-old Black male In Their Own Words Teens and young adults on the positive aspects of using social media when feeling depressed, stressed, or anxious