Recently, I’ve read articles how social media has increased likelihood of depression and anxiety. Is anyone surprised? When we’re scrolling, all we see is everybody’s curated ‘best-of’; the best parts of their life, often seen while we’re sitting in the worst of ours. Just the other day, I was looking at Facebook and saw a photo of a friend on vacation, sitting on a tropical, white-sand beach with a margarita in hand. Me? I was sitting in freezing, wintery weather in Portland, Oregon, and let me tell you — I was SO jealous! It made me feel like my life was so…boring. Incomplete. These are terrible emotions, and I don’t want them to be associated with my own life, or my dear friends when they share their adventures! It’s not their fault I felt that way. It was me, playing the comparison game — the game that turns our hearts to a place of despondency, depletion, depression. Because pictures look easy, and our lives aren’t easy, so something triggers in our subconscious:something must be wrong with us.
It’s important as we scroll to remember these are people’s BEST moments. It’s their highlight reel! No one’s life is easy, no matter how sunny their Instagram feed.And it’s not our job to compare. It’s our job to love, to celebrate, and to support. If that becomes difficult, you may want to consider taking some time off from social media altogether — I know I need to!
