# Looking through Facebook "friends" photos and feeling depressed



## paintgirl (Mar 7, 2013)

I do this way more than I should but I am stalking all of my popular Facebook friends (who I am not friends with in real life) and their lives just look so perfect. I know they're not perfect and that people choose what pictures to upload and whatnot but... at least they're with people! At least they have groups to hang out with and places to go and I'm just sitting in my room all day. It's so depressing. I don't even comment or like pictures or interact with anyone on Facebook, I just watch everyone else living their life. Anyone else do this?


----------



## HumbleTears (Aug 21, 2013)

I did exactly that at one point, and i eventually deactivated my account because of how much facebook triggered me.

Oh the weight that came off my shoulders once my facebook was no more.


----------



## Diani93 (Apr 19, 2012)

I used to do that all the time especially during my freshman year of college. flipping through people's pictures and feeling so incredibly down and depressed. You really shouldn't be doing that because its not going to help you overcome SA. I eventually deactivated because clearly FB stalking people was only making me feel worse about myself. remember people are not going to put their worst moments only the best moments on FB; its like a facade. Anyway I reactivated my account a couple of months ago after like a year off and this time I only update my statuses and check up on the friends/family I truly care about. And once I log off, I don't have the terrible feeling/envy. Besides I have been talking to my school psychiatrist and therapist I think you should try finding one too or buy a self help book and also lay off FB for a while. Good luck.


----------



## teopap (May 12, 2013)

Same here. One time it affected me so badly that I ended up crying. Even if I hide their news on the wall, they tend to pop up with every possible way (You know this friend ? Add him/her!). I'll soon deactivate it. Can't stand their stupidity and narcissism. Can't stand that lots of people live for Facebook. They actually live for other people. Even If I see the facebook tab opened in my browser, I still feel depressed. Nobody will give a s*** if I am online or not, no matter how many "friends" I have.


----------



## QuitSweatinMe (Aug 24, 2013)

I agree with HumbleTears. I deactivated mines and it made me feel so free.


----------



## feems99 (Jun 7, 2013)

I feel the same way


----------



## fm5827 (Mar 7, 2011)

I don't even go on facebook much at all (once a day for a few mins) and everytime I see these damn photos. My cousin is especially annoying, she posts multiple selfies of her and her sister every day. You've just got to remind yourself that most of the stuff on facebook is fake, the people that post the most photos may be depressed, or attention seekers desperate for compliments, you just never know.


----------



## Richard Pawgins (Jul 11, 2013)

this is why one should avoid facebook


----------



## laura024 (Aug 11, 2006)

If you can't handle Facebook emotionally, you should probably not be on it. :/


----------



## Valtron (Jul 6, 2013)

I just get annoyed with it. The narcissism gets old real fast. Yeah b*tch, you're decently attractive, but I don't need to see 100,000,000,000,000 pictures of your face. So stop. Thanks.


----------



## Applejacks118 (Sep 6, 2013)

I'm trying to force myself to deactivate mine. I find myself often extremely depressed from seeing how other people live. How happy they are, how many friends they have. I know it's doing more harm than good for me. I just need to actually deactivate it and keep it turned off. :|


----------



## Harmeulius (Jun 24, 2013)

I used to have the same, instead of deleting my account on facebook I made myself think: The grass is always greener on the other side. Their lives might look perfect but I can tell you they probabbly aren't.

It solved a lot for me, I still can get a bit depressed by facebook but that's when I find out that a girl that I find attractive has a douchebag as boyfriend.


----------



## HanSolo (Jul 5, 2013)

I hear you all on the depressing bit, but even people with lots of nice pictures can be depressed too.

But yeah going out and around the bars like last night again, seeing friends and bf/gf's is real tough sometimes........It's always them never me.......it's just another big club I'm mostly left out of

The girl I met friday hasn't contacted me back yet, and I haven't found her, that's sad, but I'll have to try more girls...bottom line, try more girls....


----------



## CWe (Mar 7, 2010)

Just don't do that sh-- anymore it's only going to bring you down. I use to do it alot as well but i just stopped going on facebook all together, i still log in but only to chat with gangsta peeps.


----------



## green9206 (May 13, 2013)

You nailed it OP.It really feels bad,very bad.


----------



## Vulpes91 (Sep 5, 2013)

No one is perfect. Everyone has their problems and I'm sure those people with the big smiles have issues of their own behind the scenes.

I can relate to you yes and I can sympathize, however once you realize Facebook is not the center of the universe and just try to ignore the self-grandiose of these individuals you'll be better off.


----------



## SerCay (Sep 8, 2013)

I know exactly what you mean...I do this myself as well
And ot even friends, sometimes I think of someone I used to know, and I look them up at FB and then when I see how well they're doing, I feel worse.

Tried to deactive FB one, for a couple of weeks, but I felt so weird and empty because Im used to talking to my cousin on the other side of the world, and I also have apps on it that I like so I activated it again. I guess the key is to force yourself to know that it's all a facade of those people, and then force youself to not look at other's profiles


----------



## Merptastic (Sep 9, 2013)

I totally feel ya, and it's weird I get impulses to get on it whenever I open the browser and then I end up feeling completely unsatisfied and sometimes depressed. Most people seem so comfortable posting "selfies" and an abundant amount of self aggrandizing photos. I end of feeling bad because I'm being so critical, and then I feel like I just wasted my time and energy on negativity when I could've been doing other things...stupid Facebook!


----------



## Merptastic (Sep 9, 2013)

Perhaps it has something to do with leaned helplessness, obviously very loosely. But it just makes me think of what goes on psychologically that would make us want to continue viewing things we don't actually care about and effect our mood in a negative way. I've found that an episode of Portlandia can boost my mood pretty quickly after Facebook silliness!


----------



## myersljennifer (Sep 6, 2013)

paintgirl said:


> I do this way more than I should but I am stalking all of my popular Facebook friends (who I am not friends with in real life) and their lives just look so perfect. I know they're not perfect and that people choose what pictures to upload and whatnot but... at least they're with people! At least they have groups to hang out with and places to go and I'm just sitting in my room all day. It's so depressing. I don't even comment or like pictures or interact with anyone on Facebook, I just watch everyone else living their life. Anyone else do this?


I used to do that most of the time. I deleted my facebook due to not wanting any social interaction and not listening to people talk about such garbage in their statuses anymore. Facebook can be both positive and negative.

I can assure you their lives are not perfect...but you already know it. People love to paint a pretty picture. Who cares if they're with people? You'd rather have a lot of people around you, and still feel alone, not have real connections with those people...to simply _have _them around? No way! Find like minded people. One is even enough. Forget about the social portrayal!

But yes, it's still entertaining to stalk people's lives and live vicariously through their pictures.  In the end you just feel kind of lame and low.


----------



## Tomfoolery (Mar 31, 2012)

Not totally sure on this, but didn't they do a study that proves facebook does actually depress people? I know I can't stand the site. It's not real to me, just a digital social mask. People put their best moments on there, not their worst, and definitely not who they really are.


----------



## feems99 (Jun 7, 2013)

I think everybody feels the same way to an extent


----------



## Staffst (Jun 29, 2013)

I just posted a question about this, lol!

Yeah I found myself doing that so I deactivated it. It's was seeing that everybody went to University that depressed me the most. 

Made the mistake of reactivating it today. I feel low 
You should consider deactivating yours.


----------



## CheesyBites (Nov 14, 2012)

That's one more reason for me not to have facebook. I'd be depressed all the time knowing everyone has a life but me.


----------



## Jedi Master (Sep 12, 2013)

Oh. I do this. 
I thought I was the only one ;-;


----------



## Hiyah (Sep 3, 2013)

I've done that before and I know how crappy it feels. I think you should deactivate facebook and maybe try to get away from the computer for a while. Go outside, take long walks, go for runs, get out and do something that makes you feel alive. Live your own life and don't worry about what others are doing. If you continue to feel sorry for yourself you'll never get anywhere in life. So go and grab life by the balls! :yes


----------



## chaosherz (May 15, 2011)

Just don't do it. Seriously. Resist the urge. Everyone feels the same scrolling thru their feed, even supposedly popular people with 1000 friends. Just remember, people are always going to post social stuff they do so it gives an impression of them being popular and fun. 90% of the time people are just doing boring stuff but they aren't going to post pics of that.


----------

