Social Media Comparison Is The Thief Of Joy!
Social media plays such a big part of our lives these days and where it is such a great way to connect with people; it also has a lot to answer for. I don’t know about you but I generally just post the nice parts of my life. I don’t want to share with my followers when I’m having a bad day and trust me there’s a lot of those with me being a mum to two young children 10 months in to a global pandemic! Despite knowing this of others it’s still difficult to see people having a supposedly great time through social media, especially if you are struggling with some aspects of life already. It makes you question your own life and ways of doing things bringing on feelings of inadequacy and guilt which ultimately affect our self-esteem.
There are so many triggers out there and everyone reacts differently. It could be a certain person: family, friend or even stranger. Someone sharing their fitness activities or weight loss progress when you are feeling self conscious. A family having a great day with fun activities when you just struggle to get out of bed in a morning.
I’ve found the best way to deal with the negative aspects of social media is to have a digital detox. This involves taking various time outs from social media starting small like an hour and gradually increasing for up to a week. It would include all forms of social media, including group chats and think about starting with some times of day which are more detrimental to our mental health such as when you wake up or before you go to sleep. It is also good to review the accounts you are following and either unfollow or delete those that do not serve you. Only you know where your triggers lie and only you can do something about it.
Remember social media is usually someone’s highlights; don’t compare your reality to it.
About Our New Blogger…
Our guest blogger Gemma is a mental health advocate with a passion for parental and family wellbeing. She lives in the North West of England with her husband and two young children and enjoys running, drinks with friends and learning about self care. She took a career break to raise her young family and is not sure where life will take her now so watch this space!