I’m guessing I’m not the only one who scrolls through my Instagram feed before falling asleep.
I used to do it to stay updated on my friends’ lives. I’d like the photos of their pets and be sure to comment on any photo that marked something new in their lives. It was therapeutic in a way.
But recently I’ve been attached to the explore page and find myself sifting through thousands of photos every night from people I either hardly know or don’t know at all. Sometimes I use those photos as inspiration – to get fit, revamp my wardrobe, go on a trip, etc. Other times, I get so caught up in the seemingly perfect lives of these strangers that I start getting upset for not having anything “Instagram worthy” in my life. Why can’t I take a picture like that in the gym mirror after my workout? Why didn’t my lunch look that good? Why did I nap for three hours when I could have been out throwing leaves in the air at a pumpkin patch like she did?
I somehow manage to conjure up every anxiety I’ve ever had just by comparing myself to the people in these photos that I have never met - people that might have the exact same anxieties as mine.
So how do we stop comparing?
First, we can stop going on social media before bed. I have a new plan to read a few pages of my book every night instead of using my phone. I’ll set my alarm ahead of time so that I don’t even have to do that before falling asleep. My phone will be charging away from my bed. This will prevent me from doing the same social media scrolling in the morning.
We can also start using Instagram in our own way. If we use social media as an outlet for ourselves, then maybe we can start to understand why other people use it. It’s not to make people jealous, it’s to showcase what they’ve been working on, and there is no harm in that.
Lastly, we should keep in mind that Instagram is not a perfect representation of anyone’s life. No one posts a photo they look awful in. Not many people post about the hard stuff. Most people post the best, most photogenic pieces of their lives, which is a wonderful thing. We just need to remember that we have beautiful moments in our lives too, even if we don’t post about them.
Comparing will make us crazy. Let’s go back to being motivated and inspired by social media.