'I was an alcoholic from the age of 14 - now I'm dying but glad I'm sober'
A woman who became an alcoholic at 14 and downed two bottles of whisky a day says she's "grateful" she's sober after receiving an incurable brain tumour diagnosis.
Abi Feltham, 37, hit "rock bottom" after a decade of using alcohol to suppress "trauma", which included losing her father to suicide aged three.
She drank "every day" from the age of 14 and would sneak vodka into her cups of tea and hide empty bottles in her room.
At her worst, Abi was drinking two 700ml bottles of whiskey or vodka and six to eight small cans of beer a day.
Abi started drinking when she was 14 years old. (Image: SWNS)
It was only when the coronavirus lockdown forced her to return to her childhood home in Berkshire in March 2020 that Abi was able to address her addiction issues.
Hiding bottles of booze in her childhood bedroom like she did as a teen was a "turning point" for Abi, as she quit drinking on April 1, 2020, and turned her life around.
Four years into her sobriety, Abi was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour and given 15 years to live.
She has undergone two brain surgeries, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and must continue to have MRI scans "every few months" to monitor the growth of the tumour.
But despite her harrowing ordeal, optimistic Abi claims she still "has lots of living to do" and credits getting sober for preparing her to deal with "the challenge of cancer".
Abi has been told she has 15 years to live. (Image: SWNS)
Abi, a content creator from south west London, said: "I was really reliant on substances - my addiction issues grew as my mental health plummeted.
"Being alive and being me was too painful, so I didn't let myself sober up.
"When I finally got sober, it was like something clicked in my head.
"I knew I had to stop drinking forever.
"I was diagnosed with a brain tumour four years into my sobriety.
"I thought, 'thank god I'm dealing with this sober'.
"I wouldn't be able to deal with cancer if I was still drinking - I'm grateful to past me for sorting myself out so future me could deal with this."
Abi became sober in 2020. (Image: SWNS)
Self-proclaimed "party girl" Abi drank throughout her teens, and knew "deep down" her drinking was "worse" than her fellow school friends.
She went backpacking in 2011, aged 23, where she found other people "drinking to escape" like her.
Her addiction issues ramped up when she moved to Canada in April 2019, and Abi ended up in a psychiatric hospital in February 2020, after going into "full-on self-destruct mode".
Abi said: "There were so many events that should have been a wake-up call.
"My relationship broke down because of my drinking, I lost my job for drinking a bottle of vodka at work, I started smoking crack and eventually attempted to take my own life and ended up on a psych ward.
Abi is taking things one day at a time (Image: SWNS)
"But none of it was a wake-up call, it was just another punch that I was rolling with."
Due to Covid, Abi moved back home to Berkshire in March 2020, where she tried to hide her addiction issues from her friends and family.
She said: "It was only when I was hiding bottles next to my bed in my childhood home, like I did when I was a teenager, that it hit me.
"I had a full circle moment where I felt like a mirror had been held up to my face."
Abi hasn't touched a drop of alcohol since her "moment of realisation" in April 2020, but admits that stopping cold turkey was "very dangerous".
"Withdrawal was really scary, I was bed bound slipping in and out of consciousness, hallucinating, shivering and sweating for five days." she said.
"I was so lucky I didn't have seizures."
Four years into her sobriety, Abi started having headaches, nausea and brain fog but put it down to caffeine withdrawal in October 2023.
Eight months later, she was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour in June 2024, and is now taking things "one day at a time" as she lives with terminal cancer.
She said: "I was told I have 15 years - I'm really stubborn though, so I'll probably live until 100.
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Girl becomes fastest 8 year-old to run a 5k in the world
London woman reveals how alcohol ruined her relationships
"I'm very grateful for the life I have - every day I'm filled with gratitude.
"Before I was diagnosed with cancer I was going through the motions and not very happy.
"Now I'm more positive and enjoy life now that I'm faced with my own mortality.
"It's very clear to me how much good I have and I wouldn't want to waste another second not appreciating it."
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CBS News
2 hours ago
- CBS News
Nine veterans with PTSD went to Mexico for a psychedelic retreat. This is how they felt nearly a year later.
This is an updated version of a story first published on Feb. 2, 2025. The original video can be viewed here. Last year, for the first time, the Veterans Administration announced it would begin funding its own clinical trials to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and addiction, using two psychedelic drugs psilocybin and MDMA. Even if these trials are successful, it would be years before the VA could prescribe either drug for its patients. Thousands of veterans who are suffering aren't waiting, desperate for help, they're attending psychedelic retreats in countries where the drugs are legal to use, mostly in indigenous ceremonies. In March 2024, we were invited to join nine veterans who traveled to the west coast of Mexico for a psychedelic journey they hoped would finally help ease their pain. They came to Mexico from all over the United States, a group of nine veterans — with invisible wounds that are hard to heal. Their destination: a remote village near Puerto Vallarta for a week-long psychedelic retreat. It was a voyage into the unknown, but a risk worth taking for TJ Duff, a former Navy sailor. Anderson Cooper: Are you optimistic? TJ Duff: Being optimistic is hard for me. Because I've been through a lot of therapy, a lot of different treatments. And not a lotta success. Duff was 18 when he joined the Navy. Months into his first deployment aboard the USS Cole, he says he narrowly escaped death, when two suicide bombers attacked the ship in Yemen, killing 17 sailors. TJ Duff 60 Minutes TJ Duff: Everyone around me was killed. There's bodies, alive and dead, being piled up in the midships. And-- I think that's really where I just started holding everything in. Randy Weaver: Don't have it where I'm-- I'm jumping in ditches when I hear loud noises. My PTSD's-- is kind of a self-destructive form. Randy Weaver is a police officer in New York. A former staff sergeant in the Army, he was diagnosed with PTSD in 2007, after returning home from tours in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Randy Weaver: It's the constant, you know, what if I had done this? What if we did that, you know? Anderson Cooper: Are those things you want to revisit while you're taking the psilocybin? Randy Weaver: Yeah. If I could revisit them-- and see them maybe from a different perspective like, not where I failed somebody. Anderson Cooper: Is there a particular incident that you feel that you failed somebody? Randy Weaver: Yeah. So-- March 18th, 20 years ago. In 2004, Weaver's platoon was caught in a firefight in an Afghan village. Two soldiers were killed, one of them his friend, Staff Sergeant Anthony Lagman. Weaver's worn this bracelet with Lagman's name on it since coming home. Anderson Cooper: You've been wearing that for 20 years. Randy Weaver: Yeah. Every day. Weaver says he's tried nearly every treatment for PTSD the VA offers including talk therapy, exposure therapy, meditation, and antidepressants. Randy Weaver: You get to a point where you're-- you're so mentally exhausted and you've created so much destruction that you-- your demons tell yourself that these-- your family would be better off without you and when those demons tell you those things every day, it's somethin' hard to ignore. Anderson Cooper: Will this help with that? Randy Weaver: I hope so. Randy Weaver speaks with Anderson Cooper 60 Minutes The retreat was organized and paid for by the Heroic Hearts Project, a nonprofit that's helped more than 1,000 U.S. veterans with combat-related PTSD access psychedelics. Ed Glover: I came home-- super angry, super anxious, hyper-vigilant. You know, that led to-- a pretty nasty divorce. Ed Glover was in Afghanistan with the Marines. He's been a firefighter for 22 years. Ed Glover: I feel like one or two traumatic events you may be able to recover from, but-- kind of seeing it day in, day out-- really takes its toll. As the vets talked it became clear, some of their struggles began long before they joined the military. Michael Giardina: My family life was just always this constant conflict. Navy vet Michael Giardina had an emotionally abusive father who killed himself 16 years ago. His sister died by suicide five months before he came here. Michael Giardina: My daughter asked my ex-wife if I was going to kill myself and I'm not. I just want to get better. To qualify for this retreat, they had to work with their doctors to wean off any antidepressant or anxiety medication they might be taking because of how it could interact with the psychedelics. They also had to have a medical screening, and no family history of psychosis or schizophrenia. When we were there, a local doctor was on site but no mental health professionals. Jesse Gould: I appreciate you guys for putting the-- the faith in me, the faith in us coming here. Jesse Gould, a former Army ranger, founded the Heroic Hearts Project in 2017 after he tried another psychedelic, ayahuasca, at a retreat in Peru. Gould says psychedelics can help veterans revisit traumatic moments in ways they may be unable to with other therapies. Jesse Gould: The value of what we're finding with psychedelics is it's a very individualistic journey. You know it comes at you. It brings up the emotions. It heightens your senses. And so you're having to face it. And-- so that's why you see such big revelations because it's giving you the tools to actually get there. Anderson Cooper: Do you worry that some who see this as sort of a last hope may end up disappointed? Jesse Gould: I worry that we're at the situation where people are having to go to other countries for their last hope that indicates a major flaw in the system. Jesse Gould, a former Army ranger, founded the Heroic Hearts Project. 60 Minutes TJ Duff: The orange one? Ok Heroic Hearts hired traditional healers to conduct three psychedelic ceremonies. The first two with psilocybin, a psychoactive compound found in some mushrooms. Its been used as medicine by indigenous communities in Mexico and elsewhere for centuries. Healer: You don't need to be strong. All we need for this experience and to receive the healing is humbleness. The healers stirred ground up mushrooms into a tea. The vets drank it, put on blindfolds to shut out distractions, and lay down. At first it seemed like the group might have traveled thousands of miles for a midday nap. But then about an hour in, we saw Michael Giardina raise his hand for help. His foot soon started to shake, followed by his whole body. By hour three, it was clear the psilocybin had kicked in. Randy Weaver and TJ Duff barely seemed to move. While firefighter Ed Glover appeared caught between rapture, and deep sorrow. Five hours later, when the psilocybin began to wear off, the vets removed their eye masks and found the heat of the afternoon sun. The next day the group gathered to discuss what they'd gone through. Michael Giardina: It literally felt like an exorcism. My foot was goin' crazy, and I could kinda feel like my body was convulsing. Michael Giardina 60 Minutes Ed Glover: I felt like I was taking-- every last breath of any victim, patient, or friend that I had lost. So I really struggled to breathe yesterday Randy Weaver: I've never done anything like that before. …Randy Weaver appeared to find some of what he traveled all this way for. Randy Weaver: One thing that I remember very vividly was flying back with the guys that-- that we lost like bein' on that medevac, even though I wasn't there in the real world. I was there s-- spiritually with them. TJ Duff however, found it unsettling and at times scary. TJ Duff: I've heard a lot of you guys stories and I did not get as immersive as you guys did. I'm kinda glad I didn't, honestly, 'cause I was kinda afraid of that. That night Duff took part in another psilocybin ceremony, but the next day he left. He later told us the whole experience caused a dangerous decline in his mental health. He's now back on antidepressant medication. The last ceremony of the retreat was with 5-MeO-DMT, a powerful and fast acting psychedelic secreted from a toad. After returning home, the vets had several virtual meetings with a heroic hearts project counselor. Ed Glover: I think my biggest takeaway was making sure I make the time to take care of myself. The Veterans Administration warns against "self-medicating" with psychedelics or using them as "part of a self-treatment program." But in December, when we spoke to its top doctor Shereef Elnahal, he was enthusiastic about their potential. Anderson Cooper: Do these retreats concern you? Dr. Shereef Elnahal: They can concern me because there's no way to monitor, certify-- make sure that they're actually safe environments. They're seeking these therapies because they do not see our current options for them to be effective enough, and they're in a state of desperation. And that, in and of itself, them seeking this type of unauthorized therapy, is just another indication on why we need to study this further, and get it to a safe and effective medical environment Last August, the FDA rejected a pharmaceutical company's application to use the psychedelic MDMA in combination with therapy as a treatment for PTSD, after an FDA advisory panel said there wasn't enough evidence it was safe or effective. The VA is now conducting 11 clinical trials using MDMA and psilocybin to treat PTSD, depression and addiction. Dr. Elnahal told us, a small phase two trial by the VA using MDMA and therapy to treat PTSD, completed last year, showed real promise. Dr. Shereef Elnahal 60 Minutes Dr. Shereef Elnahal: 45% have gone into complete remission, which is essentially a "normal emotional state." That is unheard-of with prolonged exposure, cognitive processing, and certainly SSRIs, the current standard-of-care options. Anderson Cooper: Almost half of the people who came in with PTSD and did MDMA therapy at the VA were cured? Dr. Shereef Elnahal: Yes. Anderson Cooper: So you have no doubt that this works? Dr. Shereef Elnahal: We need to do larger Phase III clinical trials. That's the best way, scientifically, to understand what the true-- adverse events are and whether we can reproduce these results in larger populations of veterans. I'm very optimistic we will be able to demonstrate that. Anderson Cooper: How long do you think it'll be before veterans can go to the VA and get this therapy Dr. Shereef Elnahal: It could be another couple of years. The incoming administration is gonna take, you know, a pretty bold stance on this Anderson Cooper: What makes you optimistic that the new administration is gonna be a believer in this? Dr. Shereef Elnahal: We've heard the nominee for HHS-- Robert F. Kennedy, Junior, talk about what he thinks the potential breakthrough therapy is. We'll see what that stance is of other health officials, but that's really promising. Nearly a year after that retreat in Mexico, we checked in with the nine veterans who attended. Eight of them told us their symptoms had improved and called their experience with psychedelics "life-changing." Ed Glover said he felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Anderson Cooper: How are you doin'? Ed Glover: Very well. Ed Glover in Mexico 60 Minutes Shortly after coming home from the retreat, he decided to retire as a firefighter. Ed Glover: Prior to the retreat, I thought about takin' my life just about every day. I had a very close call. You know, the note, the gun. That is no longer the case. Anderson Cooper: You haven't had thoughts of killing yourself since then? Ed Glover: Not one. And Randy Weaver says his suicidal ideations have stopped as well. Randy Weaver: I don't have any of those thoughts since-- since goin' through-- through this journey. Anderson Cooper: That's remarkable. Randy Weaver: I would say yeah. Anderson Cooper: You had told the-- the group afterward that you had visualized people on a medevac helicopter that you had served with. Randy Weaver: Yeah. Anderson Cooper: What-- what was the impact of that? Randy Weaver: In combat things happen quickly. One minute you're talkin' to your friend and the next minute, you know, he's-- you're-- you're puttin' him in a body bag. That causes a gap in your psyche so to be able to revisit those incidences -- you know, seein' those helicopters come back with friends it brings a little-- peace to you, yeah. Since our report aired in February, former firefighter Ed Glover suffered a setback in his decades-long battle with PTSD and has since sought conventional mental health care. The new head of the Veterans Administration, Secretary Doug Collins, says he supports more research for psychedelic therapies. Produced by Katie Brennan. Associate producer, Eliza Costas. Broadcast associate, Grace Conley. Edited by Matthew Danowski.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Hockey player 'in limbo' after head struck by ball
"I understand there is an element of risk in hockey, but surely a brain injury must trigger some help?" Claerwen Render, 42, loved sports but her life changed when she was hit on the forehead by a hockey ball five years ago. Advertisement The mother-of-three has suffered daily migraines and fatigue since and has seen her income halve after giving up her role as a member of a secondary school's senior leadership team. But after being refused an insurance payout through her sport's governing body, she has been left questioning if affiliation payments are worth it. Hoci Cymru said it had developed their approach to head injuries but that more needed to happen to explain the limitations of insurance cover. Mrs Render was playing for Clwb Hoci Rhuthun in Denbighshire in November 2019 when she was caught on the temple by a ball struck by an opposing player. Advertisement Bleeding badly, she was taken by ambulance to the nearest A&E department. Over the next few months she tried to return to the classroom as a maths teacher, but struggled to cope. "I'm not getting half my old life back. I'm just in limbo, in pain," said Mrs Render. "I can't do anything. It really affects my sleep. I've taken time off work but no amount of rest gets rid of my symptoms. It's debilitating. "I can't do normal things like before. I can't enjoy going to the kids' activities. If I stay I suffer, or I'll go to work in more pain and I have to go to bed." Advertisement Nine months after the incident, Mrs Render, from Denbigh, made an insurance claim through her Hoci Cymru membership but said her application did not trigger any benefits. She now works four mornings a week having been diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome. "Why have I paid 15 years of affiliation and insurance? It was for something like this," said Mrs Render. "I understand there is an element of risk, but surely a brain injury must trigger something? Are we just paying into a bottomless pit? "I'm just disappointed that I'm not compensated for loss of earnings, the future of my kids, everything." Advertisement One sports lawyer said few players were fully aware of the level of cover they have for head injuries. "No-one signs up to play these sports to get permanent and progressive brain damage and a very high number of sports men and women, we believe, have that," said Richard Boardman, from law firm Rylands Garth. Claerwen Render had to give up her role on her secondary school's senior leadership team after being injured [BBC] "It is critical that all grassroots players know about the risks involved in collision sports, and whether they are covered for brain injuries," Mr Boardman added. Colin Morris from brain injury charity Headway, stressed the health and social benefits of sports, including brain health, but also said players needed to be aware of how insurance cover works. Advertisement "It is something that governing bodies and insurers need to be transparent with and really convey to people what circumstances they wouldn't be covered. "So people can take out further insurance if they need to, protection against loss of income for example," he said. Hoci Cymru's concussion policy was first introduced in 2021. Its chief executive, Paul Whapham, said they could not comment on individual insurance cases but acknowledged the "very real impact" Mrs Render's injury had and took her concerns "seriously". "This situation highlights the importance of clear communication and transparency around insurance coverage," said Mr Whapham. Advertisement He added Hoci Cymru's approach to head injuries had developed but there was "always more" to be done so players "understand the extent and limitations of cover provided through affiliation". "We are committed to working with our insurers, our clubs and partners to ensure that policies are clear, fair and supportive of our players' wellbeing," Mr Whapham said.
Forbes
5 hours ago
- Forbes
Stressed, Scrolling On Social, And Stuck? Here's What To Do About It.
Have you ever found your focus and your mood completely derailed after getting sucked into a social media scrolling session? Maybe it started innocently enough with something like researching vacation destinations. Maybe you went looking for a dinner recipe. Or maybe you found yourself going down a rabbit hole looking up physical or mental health symptoms you've been having. Social media scrolling has been linked to poorer mental and physical health and decreased work ... More productivity. LifeStance Health recently surveyed over 1,000 U.S. adults to uncover how being constantly online connectivity impacts Americans' mental well-being and relationships. One of the most startling findings was that so many participants reported relying on social media for mental health advice, despite concerns about its credibility, with a whopping 50% of Gen Z-ers self-diagnosing mental health conditions based on social media content (but sometimes hesitating to actually seek professional help afterwards). And then before you know it, forty-six minutes have passed and you're totally overstimulated, treading water in a puddle of your own stress-sweat and you somehow need to get yourself back on track so you can get on with your day. As becoming 'chronically online' has become the norm for so many, this can play a big role in wellbeing. 26% of respondents shared that they check social media within five minutes of waking up, and the same portion spends four hours or more daily on social media. Gen Z (45%) and millennial respondents (39%) were found to be the most likely to be constantly connected, compared to Gen X (25%) and baby boomer (14%) respondents. These social media time-sucks and mood-dips can be disruptive no matter what time of day or night they occur, but when they hit in the middle of your day, it can significantly throw you off course. Here, experts share their insights and tips for how to cope when you're overstimulated by social media. Health experts agree that spending too much time on social media can have a negative impact on ... More overall wellbeing. Dr. Caroline Fleck, a psychologist and author of Validation, quips, 'If i wanted to set up conditions that would lead someone to develop major depression disorder, I'd have them lie down, limit their sunlight exposure, and put them in a space where it's very easy to compare themselves to other people—social media offers all of those things.' According to Srini Pillay, M.D., a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, chief medical officer of Reulay and author of 'Tinker Dabble Doodle Try: Unlock the Power of The Unfocused Mind', being chronically online can cause severe cognitive decline. He cites a March 2025 article published in Brain Science indicating that excessive exposure to low-quality digital content, especially through social media and video platforms, causes a phenomenon known as 'brain rot'—a term recently crowned Oxford's Word of the Year. 'Symptoms include emotional numbness or fogginess, memory issues, poor decision-making, and a distorted sense of self—fueled by dopamine-driven feedback loops that keep users locked in.' Other researchers have found that chronic online users usually multitask and get side-tracked by constant notifications, which can lead to poor attention, memory, and decision-making, he adds. Physical health issues like increases in inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP), more physical symptoms and more visits to a doctor or health center for physical illness have also been noted in research. 'While social media can foster connection and provide emotional support, especially for marginalized groups,' explains Dr. Pillay, it is also linked to a range of potential health challenges. These include increased risk of anxiety, depression, sleep disruption, and body dissatisfaction—especially among girls—largely due to social comparison, problematic use, and content exposure.' He adds that excessive use may displace vital health-promoting activities 'like sleep, physical activity, and real-world social interaction.' The neglect of physical health can contribute to or exacerbate mental health issues. And by the way, this isn't just impacting individual wellbeing. Pillay, who is also a leadership development expert who works with Fortune 500 companies to help them build more resilient, agile, creative and productive teams, shares that according to research from McKinsey & Co., employee disengagement and attrition could cost a median-size S&P 500 company between $228 million and $355 million a year in lost productivity. 'Over five years, that's at least $1.1 billion in lost value per company. The multitasking that occurs while working and engaging social media may slow people down, hamper creativity, and increase anxiety, thereby impacting engagement.' Taking breaks and getting outside can help you get back on track with your day after a disruptive ... More scrolling session. Prentis Hemphill, a therapist focused on embodiment and the author of What It Takes to Heal, encourages starting by acknowledging how social media is actually designed to hijack your attention. 'I think it's good for us to know and understand that the design of social media has us consuming a lot of information and experiences of other people, but the speed at which we can do that doesn't align with the speed at which our body processes emotion and experiences. So if we end up in that scrolling vortex, we usually experience some kind of overwhelm.' That information about your mental state gives you a starting place. 'Once we notice we're triggered or overwhelmed, that's a time to take a step back.' They encourage checking in with yourself about exactly what you're feeling. 'This can give you clues as to which actions you can take. Discern exactly what it is you feel.' When we recognize what we're feeling and what's contributing to the uncomfortable feelings, explains Dr. Fleck, 'we get some information about what the antidote would be.' In many cases, she says, the inverse can be helpful. If you're scrolling inside, get outdoors, if you're in a climate with sun. 'You can even just sit outside without your phone.' Or if you've been sitting down while scrolling, 'flip that on its head and get some movement. These are just some physiological ways of regulating your body.' Considering how social media impacts your thoughts is also helpful, she says. 'On social media, you're being told to buy this and do that. You're getting the fundamental messaging that you're not enough. Self-validation is so important. You can say to yourself, 'I don't need anything other than what I am and what I have. I am enough.' You can validate, of course I'm feeling bad—I'm comparing myself to people who are photoshopped to the nth degree. Recognize that it's a distorted reality.' Sometimes being honest with yourself about what you're looking for on social media can also offer valuable clues, explains Dr. Fleck. 'If you're getting into scrolling while you're working, most likely what you need in that moment is a break from the mental stimulation of the work you're doing.' However, instead of giving ourselves a break, we flood our nervous system with these messages, she says, 'and it makes us feel keyed up and burnt out at the same time. Instead of restoring our faculties, we've exhausted them. So if the function is to regulate or distract, if you notice this pattern more than once, it becomes about, 'What can I do' to change this pattern.' Hemphill adds, 'Carving out some time and space to be with your focus and train your focus as best you can makes it a little easier to you do have to refocus or shift, having a mini ritual, such as a mini meditation, to help you be intentional about that transition to where you're back in the driver's seat of your attention can help you. A lot of us don't transition back—our minds are still in that other space but we have work to do. This helps us get back into our bodies.' Some other examples they share are taking a deep breath and going outside to connect with nature and your body. Dr. Pillay adds that deliberately seeking positive online experiences can help in the shrt term too. 'For example, if laughing babies make a person happy, they might search for a video online to switch their mood instantly. Or if a particular song puts them in a better mood, they might listen to that song immediately.' He also points to a study that demonstrated that affirming one's values is rewarding to the brain. 'This works especially if you think about what you want to honor in the future.' Your mindset around social media has been shown to play a role in how it impacts you. Dr Fleck encourages being honest with yourself about why you're scrolling. To go back to the example of someone looking up symptoms, she says, 'When we look up symptoms on social media, sometimes we're seeking some degree of, 'Is there anybody out there who's feeling what I feel?' What we're seeking there is some signal that what we're going through is real and overwhelming and hard. But that isn't always the type of validation that serves us. It would be so much healthier to have someone to talk to rather than validation that things are as bad as they seem.' If you've noticed that some people you know will tell you they find social media uplifting while others find it draining, the reason for that likely lies within, explains Dr. Pillay. 'Recent research suggests the answer lies not in the platforms themselves, but in the mindsets we bring to them. In a large-scale, multi-study investigation involving over 2,000 participants, scientists introduced the concept of social media mindsets—core beliefs about how much control people feel over their use and whether they view it as helpful or harmful to their lives.' 'The study found that people with a sense of agency and a positive outlook on social media's role in their lives tend to enjoy greater psychological and relational well-being,' he says. 'In contrast, those who feel out of control and believe social media harms them report higher levels of distress.' Those who felt like they could control when they scrolled and could take a break whenever they wanted fared better than those who felt like it was out of their control. 'As you rethink your digital health behaviors,' says Dr. Pillay, 'consider that changing your mindset may just change your relationship with social media—and yourself. Health experts recommend setting healthy boundaries with social media and building in restorative ... More daily practices. The Lifestance survey data reflects that an increasing number of people are considering using digital detoxes as ways to disconnect, with 76% of respondents reporting that they find the idea of a digital detox appealing, with Gen Z (84%) and millennial (83%) respondents most interested compared to respondents from other generations. Over a quarter of respondents stated that they actually believe a permanent TikTok ban would positively impact their mental health. 'I think these questions of how we manage social media in our lives are so important,' says Hemphill. 'I think it's so important for us to have identities and lives that are full beyond social media.' They encourage exploring how you can cultivate a sense of autonomy when we have such strong algorithms driving negative emotions like insecurity and fear. Hemphill recommends designating specific times and spaces for social media. 'Setting blocks of time can help you set a reliable place and time where you know you can go in and come out. There are also places that are sacred spaces. I don't scroll on social media when I'm with my kid or my partner. I also try to have other practices during my day and hold certain spaces sacred where social media can't enter. You can also fill out your own social media experience with the types of content you want to see.' Matthew Solit, LCSW, Executive Clinical Director at LifeStance Health, adds, 'Be careful with online mental health content and self-diagnosis. While it may seem more comfortable, it is not reliable. Wellness takes work and that work is most likely actualized through working in direct partnership with mental health professionals. The mental health challenges that can be fueled by excessive internet use, 'doom-scrolling' and overstimulation are real. If your thoughts involve harming yourself or others, please seek help immediately.'
