Social media is amazing – it’s a way to share your life, your successes and everything in-between. It keeps you in touch with family and friends and allows you to connect with people who inspire you. It’s safe to say it plays a huge role in the day-to-day lives of many individuals–whether it’s for personal use or for work, it’s here to stay!
Just like everything else in life, moderation is key. While there are countless positives to social media, there are some cases where it can make you feel less than great–mainly because of human nature to draw comparisons.
When you’re constantly seeing everyone living their best life, you may start to become envious or worry that your own life doesn’t stack up.
If you tend to feel like this from time-to-time, try these tips to keep yourself in a positive and healthy mindset:
Identify your triggers
Know what makes you feel not so great when you’re on social media. Do certain people you scroll by or certain types of posts make you feel inadequate?
Perhaps following your favourite celebrities on Instagram, seeing their ‘perfect’ bodies and lavish lifestyles sting a little.
On the other end of the spectrum, negative comparisons to acquaintances and friends can be strong because you consider these people similar to yourself.
By knowing what makes you unhappy, you can be more mindful and limit yourself to what you see on social media and you can reevaluate your thoughts and who you’re choosing to follow.
Reality check
The reality is you only see one side of the story on social media. Most people don’t share their failures or the not so glamorous occurrences that happen in their life.
Your posts don’t represent a completely accurate picture of your life, showcasing your struggles, so other people’s social feeds don’t either. Nothing is picture perfect.
On social media, we create an image – we edit, both literally and figuratively, what we want people to see. Keeping this top of mind will help give you perspective when you’re feeling like you’re not measuring up.
In addition to this, don’t forget to show gratitude for all the good things you do have–take time to reflect and be thankful.
Use envy to spark motivation
It’s up to you what you do with the emotions you are feeling. You may wish to take those envious feelings and use them as inspiration.
Channel that energy into positive vibes, get out there, and accomplish your goals. If they can do it, so can you!
Connect with inspirational people
Connecting with people who inspire you and sending positive messages is a great way to change your negative mindset.
Instead of getting caught up in a funk of not looking a certain way, comparing your life to someone else’s or wishing you had that cool car or snazzy outfit, follow people who uplift you.
For starters, check out these body positive influencers on Instagram:
Next time you’re visiting your favourite social media pages be sure to scroll mindfully and remember, you’re awesome (beautiful, amazing or fill in the blank here) just the way you are!