It is a normal human activity to compare yourself to others. When you are feeling good, it can inspire you to make positive changes in your life. But generally, it is healthier to stick to your path and not look around too much. Comparison becomes magnified by a million on social media platforms, and too much of it can eat away at your sense of self-worth. Now, of course, I am not saying all social media is bad for us. Good things can come from social media. It can be a way to stay connected to people and ideas, and it can inform and inspire you — but it needs careful handling.
Maybe you have got a habit of getting on social media first thing in the morning before you have even got out of bed? Or perhaps you are sitting online for hours on the weekends, looking at other people’s lives, checking out their weekends. What is she doing? Where is he? Why wasn’t I invited?
I would encourage you to remember that what you are looking at online is other people’s carefully edited highlights. You are comparing their carefully curated photographs and words with your complicated, beautiful, scrambled human dose of reality. We all know this. We chose not to help ourselves scrolling through other people’s feeds, judging them, and deciding that they have more than we; that their lives are perfect.
Be honest. How do you feel after a session on social media? Inspired? Grateful? Happy with your current life? Most likely not. Focus on being aware of how time you spend online and how it affects your emotions. Health professionals are now saying that too much time online as a form of self-harm. You get to decide.
