Let me start this with:I love social media. It’s another way to connect, see what my friends are up to, and see funny memes or videos.

But now I’m about to talk about all the ugly parts of social media, because they are very very real. 

Have you ever been scrolling through your Instagram feed, looking at the pictures other people are posting thinking, “damn I wish I had their life”? 

With social media being a huge part of our society now, it’s very easy to get wrapped up in comparison and fantasizing about a glamorous other life. 

News flash: the life we construct on social media is NOT reality. 

Prime example- have you ever seen someone in person that you have only seen on social media and thought “WOW they look different in person”? That’s because you can edit photos EASILY nowadays. 

Want to make your waist a little smaller? Boom, here’s an app to suck that in. Teeth not white enough? Use this filter to make them look whiter. Most of the time the photos you see of people aren’t always accurate depictions of the way someone looks. Don’t even get me started on ANGLES. You know, the ones that can make you look like you have a huge butt and the tiniest waist imaginable. 

People tend to depict the life they WANT on social media, not the life they are actually living. I can put up a photo looking happy and healthy, and in reality be miserable and super unhealthy. No one will know that from one photo.

This is why social media has contributed to mental health issues, and it’s 100% understandable. It’s really easy to be depressed when you see someone galavanting on a boat in the Greek islands while you are at home cleaning the baby puke off of your shirt for the fifth time today, or at a job you hate just so you can make enough money to pay your rent for the month. But you never know what’s going on. That person in Greece on vacation might have just booked a trip because their husband left them for someone else, or they have been in a deep depression, and they’re hoping this trip helps them get out of a funk. It’s one photo. You don’t know the backstory or the context. 

Comparison is the thief of joy.

Remember that just because your life might look glamorous online and you get a lot of likes, it doesn’t mean you’ll be happy. 

Your self worth is not quantified in likes or how many followers you have.