By Emily Carter
Discovering OCD in a Digital World
Looking at your phone for endless hours, trying to find the perfect recipe for dinner, the most “on-trend” outfit for your best friend’s birthday dinner, or being infatuated with how celebrities take such great pictures all the time. It is a constant cycle of comparison and intense feelings, leaving you with the sense that you are never living up to your fullest potential. Social media (SM) is engaging, life-changing, helpful, and revolutionary within today’s society. It has also played a key role in some people’s biggest and most public downfall, embarrassment, and, to put it plainly, oversharing.
For someone with OCD, social media can feel like both a lifeline and a landmine. One second, it’s a break from intrusive thoughts; the next, it triggers them. With algorithms and “for you pages” being used to identify what the user is most interested in, focusing more than just a few seconds on the post or giving it a simple like can cause an entire feed of obsessing over one specific topic that could be responsible for that user’s downward spiral.
Research concludes that “… high-OCD-symptoms people appeared to convey greater importance to SM and can be affected more by them in terms of mood, thus making OCD people potentially even more vulnerable to the negative side-effects of SM,” (Guazzini, 2022). It is not shocking that people presenting with OCD or OCD-like behaviors may be afflicted with both positive and negative emotions or feelings after using social media. Some of the behaviors can be narrowed down to consistent and intense checking for likes, follows, views, etc.; an excessive need to have the perfect comment or filter on certain photos or videos, and the need for validation from peers who surf social media on a frequent schedule. Not only do they use it to seek internal validation of themselves, but they are also using it to compare themselves unfavorably to those with millions of viewers. These influencers are used to set a status quo for getting ready in the morning or grocery store hauls of their favorite snacks, to highlight their favorite workout clothes, and push their viewers to be the best they can be. What may seem like lighthearted content is designed to boost views, but it could be the last straw for someone who has been hyper-fixating on the influencer’s life and struggling to see their own life as a reflection of that.
The OCD-Social Media Connection
In a personal capacity, I have seen my own OCD show up in areas of comparison to lifestyle influencers, especially ones that are also going to school. I overwhelm myself with the idea that not only are they furthering their educational goals by going to college, but they are also documenting their entire lives while doing it. I’m struggling to complete my assignments well, let alone do well on them. This leads me into what most people call “doom scrolling” or the endless cycle of watching TikTok, reels, or reviewing Instagram posts of other people who are being so successful and posting content while I am lying in my bed, fulfilling my best “bed rotting” abilities. I usually spend an hour or two on this, figuring out how to put it down. I remind myself that I don’t have to be like them and that I am successful in my own right, which can be tough at times. I often find myself unable to sleep after doom-scrolling, stuck on the idea that my life isn’t as “perfect” as the social media gurus make it seem.
What is important to remember when being in these cycles is that the perception of perfection is not the same for everybody across the board. It varies based on your standpoint or position on the content. The person producing the content may hate it and be overthinking the idea of, “Why did I even post that?” The moral of the story here is that just because you think they are perfect with their handmade breakfast, shopping haul, and pristine notes, doesn’t mean they think they are perfect. We are all trying to make ourselves look perfect to the world so that they can’t see our doubts or obsessions. A good way to help ease these obsessions is to ground yourself with personal affirmations. Here are a few of my favorites to use when I am stuck in a scrolling cycle:
- My life is not the same as theirs, and that is ok.
- We are not in the same season of life, and that is ok.
- I have been presented with different opportunities than they have, and I am doing the best I can with what I have been given.
- I am successful in my own way, and I am proud of myself.
Many people with OCD feel a need to “perfect” their online presence, which mirrors internal compulsive behaviors. I can say I am guilty of this. The best way to combat feelings of perfectionism and comparison is to set limits on your exposure. If you dwell on the fact that you are not as perfect as those on social media, you are hindering your mind and letting obsessions take control. Highlight and use the ability to say, “I am done scrolling for the day,” to allow yourself some freedom from comparison and fulfilling that craving for perfection. Take up a new hobby to give yourself time to disconnect from social media. Taking time away from it can relax the brain, allowing you to enjoy your life and appreciate your current situation. It is always good to enjoy the present. Here are some helpful hobbies to help you put down the phone and pick up on the present:
- Read a book
- Workout
- Take a walk
- Go on a coffee run solo or with friends
- Go swimming
- Build a puzzle
- Coloring
- Journaling
- Watch a movie
There are countless hobbies available to use as a break from social media; you have to find one that works for you.
Real-Life Triggers
Not only can social media create its obsessions and compulsions, but it can also impact digital content. OCD obsessions and compulsions that are considered “textbook symptoms,” such as handwashing. Hair pulling, skin picking, harmful thoughts, and the inability to stop an action till it has been completed due to the obsessive thought and the need to complete that task. These can be exacerbated if they are visualized on social media. Perhaps an advocate for OCD is talking about their own OCD symptoms on SM, and they are actively doing it in videos, which could cause a trigger for the viewer who also experiences it. Although unintended, it can still have a spiraling effect on the viewer. The creator may not even be someone with symptoms of OCD, as the action they are doing may not cause the creator to have triggered symptoms, but it may cause the viewer to act on an obsession. There are countless ways that these symptoms can flare up in a viewer of social media creators, and these are just a couple of cases that can be easily identified as triggers.
A great example is the pandemic, where people made hand washing and extensive efforts to protect themselves against the virus. People would create content to highlight the need for good hygiene and frequent cleaning to prevent COVID-19. What could happen to a viewer with OCD is that it could cause them to act on the need to wash their hands excessively due to the need to feel clean and protect themselves without finding a way to prohibit the action on their own. These videos may be an attempt to raise awareness, but for some, they can cause an endless cycle of pain and anxiety.
A Message of Self-Compassion
A key takeaway from such experiences is the importance of being patient and compassionate with yourself. No one is perfect, and no one can be the best at everything. Everyone is at different points in life, and those may not be paralleled in your own life.
Remember, social media is used to highlight the best moments in life, not every single moment. Have grace, be kind to yourself, and create boundaries to find peace when social media feels overwhelming. I have found it possible to use social media still, but now with boundaries I never had before. The world will only continue to build on the idea that social media is the basis for connection and a culture of talking to people around the world at the touch of a button. Find ways now to decompress from the pressure and anxiety that it may cause, because social media is not everything. You are not alone in this digital world, and your worth is not tied to a feed, a filter, or a like count.
References:
Guazzini, A., Gursesli, M. C., Serritella, E., Tani, M., & Duradoni, M. (2022). Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Types and Social Media: Are Social Media Important and Impactful for OCD People? European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 12(8), 1108-1120. https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe12080078
