‘Rewiring’ your brain is an effective way to combat stress: Some helpful tips

Dr. Olu Ajilore, associate professor of psychiatry in the UIC College of Medicine, is quoted in a Chicago Sun-Times article on managing stress.

The article reads in part: “Social media can give us a filtered version of reality that shows others doing well and having fun, [and that can] create competition to keep up with that image,” said Ajilore, who works with patients at UIC’s Center for Depression and Resilience.

So it’s important to do a reality check. How are you letting social media influence your emotions? Do others’ beachfront vacation photos make you angry and jealous or happy and contented?

One coping method: Take a social-media “fast,” Ajilore said. “Take a break for a couple weeks from Twitter or Instagram. Use that time to reconnect with people in real life, face-to-face.”