Isabelle Daza Gets Candid About Social Media And Mental Health In This Interview
Isabelle Daza is used to being the one on camera and breezing through interview after interview. But when the tables turn and it's her turn to do the asking, you can depend on this influencer with purpose to know exactly what to do, and more importantly, how to use her star power for the greater good.
In case you haven't noticed, Isabelle is actually one of Manila's mental health advocates and has candidly spoken about issues relevant to young, multi-faceted women like herself.
So far, she has addressed concerns about "the glamorization of being busy," and how this affects healthy experiences of motherhood, raising children in a highly digitized society, and how social media impacts one's mental health and invites negativity into one's life if not managed properly. Often, she uses her own experiences on what she refers to as social media anxiety to drive the point home.
READ: #WeAreEnough: "She Talks Asia" Brings Mental Health Into The Forefront Of 2019
Overall, perhaps the best thing about Isabelle's approach to discussing these issues is how earnestly she takes them; she's gone above and beyond the token mental health Instagram caption and hashtag, and has organized (and even spoken at!) mental health awareness-focused events, though intimate, to create impactful and lasting impressions on those who care to listen.
She's on a mission to be taken seriously, so that the lessons on mental health that she so dutifully presents are likewise taken to heart—a truly commendable effort!
READ: What Everyone Should Learn About Depression And Mental Health From Journalist Seph Ubalde
Most recently, this initiative of hers took form in a three-part interview with psychologist Richthofen de Jesus where the pair discuss the double-edged sword nature of social media in our society today. The first third of the interview is incredibly insightful and a must-see!
Here's a sneak peek of the best takeaways from the 10-minute clip:
It's harder and harder to be yourself these days.
That's because social media allows more opportunities for users to build online personas that aren't necessarily in line with who they are in real life. Friendships, business connections, and even romantic relationships can now be formed without (or with very little) face to face interactions which, in turn, allows people to hide behind the screen and in some cases, pretend to be someone they're not.
Parents take on a more serious role in orienting their kids about social media.
You can't stop the digitization of our world, and the next generations will surely rely on and live alongside technology more than any adults today ever have. It then becomes every parent's responsibility to orient their little ones as thoroughly as possible about the effects social media works, what to be wary about, what is and isn't real and how to help them protect themselves from its pitfalls.
The insecurity isn't imagined.
It's not your imagination; feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt are totally real (and more common than you think) when you see people posting things like #travelgoals, #beautyhaul, or yes, even #iwokeuplikethis. It's human nature to compare and contrast your lives with those you idolize or follow online, and according to Richthofen, the feelings of insecurity (i.e.: wondering why your life doesn't look like other people's) are magnified in Philippine society where there's a strong culture of jumping on the bandwagon and feeling like "if you have this, I do too, except bigger and better."
READ: 6 Things You Should Do When You Suspect Someone Is Suicidal
There's that constant search for validation.
The upside of social media is how it allows users to share the best moments of their lives with friends and family. However, that takes a turn for the worse when people begin to depend on their subscribers or followers for validation. When they're unable to feel confident in themselves, or feel happy about things as trivial as their breakfast for the day, their outfit, or the shade of lipstick they're wearing without approval in the form of comments and likes, that's red flag.
One needs a change in thought process.
As advised by Richthofen, one thing all social media users can do starting from today to avoid the anxiety, stress, and many other harfmul effects of social media use is to change the motivation behind their posts. Rather than think about whether a photo, video, caption, or even status update will be something that people will like, ask yourself if it was part of a memorable, positive experience that you wish to immortalize with a digital memento. What you think of a post is the only thing that should matter; if it makes you happy, then that's that.
READ: The Reality of Dealing with Depression and How To Acknowledge It According To a Psychiatrist
Watch the full clip below!
Photos from @isabelledaza
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