The first thing I do when I wake up is check my Instagram. Then I switch over to Twitter, followed by Snapchat.
My life, like so many others', is controlled by social media. I know it's bad to base most of your life off of social media, and I don't even quite enjoy social media that much anyway. But old habits die hard and it would be difficult for me to just quit it altogether.
One thing I can do, however, is to get smarter about how and why I utilize it.
Something I struggle with is not comparing my life to how other people's lives are portrayed on social media.
I can't help it. Every time I open Instagram and see a pristine, perfectly shot picture of someone in front of some graffitied wall or some cute shrubbery, I get jealous.
I wish I was that photogenic. I wish I had someone to take pictures of me. I wish I was taking cute pictures for my Instagram to make myself look cooler than I actually am instead of isolating myself in my room and re-watching the "Harry Potter" movies for the billionth time.
It's hard to remember that everyone is human and that nobody is living a picture-perfect life.
The moments you see of someone's life on their social media are only small, heavily produced snippets that they want you to see.
When people post to their social media, it's usually to show the highlights of their life, leaving out everything in between. If you see a picture of someone smiling in front of some cute art sculpture, you're probably going to think "Wow, they look so cool." That's because they want you to think that.
That picture does nothing to express how uncomfortable the pose they're making is. It does nothing to show how they paid a $50 admission fee just to take a few pictures for their Instagram and leave. It doesn't show how their car broke down on the way there and they had to spend $30 on an Uber. It doesn't show how they got toothpaste on their favorite dress when they were getting ready, so they had to change into a different, super-itchy dress.
My point is, almost everything you see on someone's social media is a doctored moment that does nothing to reflect how normal their life actually is.
I'm not saying that you should get rid of your social media completely. In this day and age, I understand how that is practically impossible. However, I think it would do you good to stop worrying so much about what you and others post.
Before I post anything, I contemplate for hours on what my caption should be. I send a couple of different versions of the same picture to my friends so they can vote on which one I should post. But honestly, I am so tired of it.
Don't be afraid to not look perfect. You aren't wearing makeup in a picture or your hair is a bit messy in it? So what? That's what you look like. Don't be afraid to show your real face.
