To The People Who Get Anxiety When They Scroll Through Social Media | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

To The People Who Get Anxiety When They Scroll Through Social Media

Why do we let online platforms influence so much our happiness?

198
To The People Who Get Anxiety When They Scroll Through Social Media
Lily Foster ( @LilyFosterPhoto on IG)

Social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook offer a myriad of communal benefits such as staying in touch with friends, keeping up with the latest celebrity news and trends, and being informed on what is happening in the world around us. These platforms also give me overwhelming anxiety that feels almost ubiquitous.

Something that I struggle with on a day to day basis is comparing myself to others. In this day and age, it's almost impossible to go online and avoid photos of models and influencers with seemingly perfect lives. Photoshop is more prevalent than ever, and it seems as though the majority of active social media users share their lavish experiences with the world. But here's the thing...

Some of these "lavish experiences" are only a glimpse of what someone's reality actually looks like. So why do I still feel this overwhelming pressure to be perfect on social media? No one's life is perfect, yet I almost feel obligated to portray my life in a flawless light in order to feel accepted. Why is this?

Sure, social media can be rewarding: posting about my long-awaited college acceptances was something that I had been looking forward to since my first year of high school, and I felt proud to share my accomplishments online with so many of my peers. However, each time I log in to my social media apps nowadays and see those same peers landing impressive internships and studying abroad, it becomes really challenging to not compare myself. Again, why is this? Each person takes their own path, and each person lives their life amid their own timeline... so why do I care?

What social media often fails to express is the idea that no one's life is perfect. What people share on social media is often a mere glimpse of their own reality. We could find ourselves in extremely unhappy relationships yet post couple photos as if everything is perfect. We could post photos laughing with friends when, in all actuality, we feel lonely. This is not to say that everything people post on social media is a lie, but it most certainly is not the whole truth. It took me a long time to realize that having a thousand likes does not mean you live a happy life, and having ten likes does not mean you live an unfulfilled life.

According to an article published by Anxiety.Org in 2013, "Comparing can also lead to anxiety when it relates to followers. For example, teens using Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook have indicated that it's more about quantity rather than quality; that is, the number of your followers, re-tweets, and "likes." Users can take these obscure numbers, and twist them to support negative thoughts." Followers that we rarely speak to in real life, if at all, may dictate our decision to post something that makes us happy, rather than what is accepted. For me personally, I've contemplated the idea of posting my music on my social media accounts, because some people may not care about it... but if it brings me joy and is something that I feel proud of, why shouldn't I post what I want to on my own account because of others' opinions, or not getting as many likes as a picture of myself at the beach would.

So I encourage you to try and take everything you see online with a grain of salt-- it is impossible to fully know what someone is going through, what genuinely goes on in their personal life each day, and what lies behind a beautiful Instagram filter. I encourage you to try and not let what those who may follow you on social media but do not truly know you, influence your happiness. Just because someone doesn't broadcast their flaws and insecurities online, does not mean they live a perfect life.

Social media platforms can only have a hold over your joy and confidence if you let them. The next time you find yourself scrolling through your apps and feeling stressed, close out of them. Turn off your phone. Devote yourself to participating in activities that remind you of who you are. Don't let an unfollow or a lack of likes on a post affect how you feel about yourself.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Entertainment

College Life: As Told By Bob's Burgers

If there's anyone who understand the struggles of college, it's the Belcher family

254
Bob's Burgers

College is a time of gaining independence, exploring new things, and copious amounts of Netflix. If you're like me, you often find yourself laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of the situations you find yourself in. Here are ten times Bob's Burgers accurately captured college life.

1. What you're pretty sure your upstairs neighbors do at 3am every morning.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Why Theater Kids Are the Greatest People Ever

Supportive and spontaneous human beings are the best.

200
Theater Kids

Throughout school, the theater department has always been my go-to place with go-to people when I need advice, a dance party, or just someone to listen to me vent.

You never know what's going to happen when you're dealing with theatre or what kind of characters you'll encounter. We have too much fun doing anything! One time in my senior year acting class, we spent an entire class period watching Bob's Burgers, and it was the greatest class period ever.

Keep Reading...Show less
Gilmore Girls
Hypable

In honor of Mother’s Day, I have been thinking of all the things my mom does for my family and me. Although I couldn’t write nearly all of them, here are a few things that moms do for us.

They find that shirt that’s right in front of you, but just you can’t seem to find.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

10 Reasons To Thank Your Best Friend

Take the time to thank that one friend in your life you will never let go of.

7049
Thank You on wooden blocks

1. Thank you for being the one I can always count on to be honest.

A true friend will tell you if the shirt is ugly, or at least ask to borrow it and "accidentally" burn it.

2. Thank you for accepting me for who I am.

A best friend will love you regardless of the stale french fries you left on the floor of your car, or when you had lice in 8th grade and no one wanted to talk to you.

Keep Reading...Show less
sick student
StableDiffusion

Everybody gets sick once in a while, but getting sick while in college is the absolute worst. You're away from home and your mom who can take care of you and all you really want to do is just be in your own bed. You feel like you will have never-ending classwork to catch up on if you miss class, so you end up going sick and then it just takes longer to get better. Being sick in college is really tough and definitely not a fun experience. Here are the 15 stages that everyone ends up going through when they are sick at college.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments