Facebook envy. You ALL know the feeling that I’m talking about: when you’re having a bad day and decide that scrolling down your newsfeed is a good idea… only to be struck by 1,000 pictures of cool, happy people that are having a way better time then you are.  Cue internal tears.   I would say that Facebook (or Twitter/Instagram/Tumblr —whatever form of social media that floats your boat) envy is one of the worst by-products of our generation’s obsession with the Internet. A rough day at work, a fight with your boyfriend, or a plain, old wake-up-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-bed morning is made infinitely worse by looking at social media and being jealous of all the fun you’re NOT having. 

Here are a few tips to not let a bad day become even worse:

 #1) DON’T LOOK AT YOUR FACEBOOK

• This one is obviously the simplest and most effective way to avoid Facebook Envy (and the hardest). We check Facebook ALL THE TIME, just by sheer habit at this point. But when you’re having a bad day, know that limiting the amount of times a day you check it, the less likely you’ll be to get jealous and feel worse.   

#2) ONLY LOOK AT IT FOR SHORT PERIODS OF TIME 

• If you DO find your fingers itching toward your apps, give yourself a time limit for how long you’re allowed to keep it open—say 5 or 10 minutes. This way, when you find yourself scrolling through an album for a party you weren’t invited to, your timer will stop you in your tracks and keep you from wallowing over it.   

#3) ALSO REALIZE IT’S ONLY A FEW PEOPLE 

• I have 1,474 friends on Facebook. I accept friend requests from nearly EVERYONE. So sure, there will always be a few people posting pictures from vacation they just took or a party or bar they just had a blast at—but for every one of them, there are 10 people who didn’t go away and stayed home to binge watch Orange is the New Black on Friday night.  Logically, someone’s bound to have done something picture-worthy this weekend.            

#4) THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT NO ONE POSTS BAD PICTURES ON FACEBOOK

• When you’re having a crappy day, the last thing you want to do is snap a selfie for Insta. The same goes for everyone else.  So don’t get upset when you only see people with pictures of themselves having fun when you’re not. On the days you feel good or something cool happened in your life you’re going to want everyone to know too, and that’s when someone else who’s having a crappy day is going to get Facebook envious of YOU.

So don’t let Facebook envy get the best of you. The less jealous you let yourself be, the faster you’ll get back on track to improving your day and start having the fun that everyone else is.