Social Media Envy Series with Berry Dakara: Dealing with It
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In my last post I introduced the premise of Social Media Envy. {Click here if you missed it} In this post, I will share different ways to avoid or deal with it.
Limit your use/Look Up
Ever heard of a social media fast or digital detox? Early this year, I read an article on Digital Downtime and started practicing it – logging out of different social media accounts from 8pm until 8am. How many times have you tried to just check your Facebook feed or Instagram for just a few minutes and been so engrossed, an hour passed by before you realized it? The more time you spend focusing on other people’s lives, the less time you give to yourself. Drop your phone or tablet, look up and actually live your life. Experience what’s going on around you – the people, the food, the music, the stars! Live your own life!
Ever heard of a social media fast or digital detox? Early this year, I read an article on Digital Downtime and started practicing it – logging out of different social media accounts from 8pm until 8am. How many times have you tried to just check your Facebook feed or Instagram for just a few minutes and been so engrossed, an hour passed by before you realized it? The more time you spend focusing on other people’s lives, the less time you give to yourself. Drop your phone or tablet, look up and actually live your life. Experience what’s going on around you – the people, the food, the music, the stars! Live your own life!
Unfollow
The hidden beauty of social media apps is the Unfollow button. If there are people you are subscribed to online that directly or indirectly cause you to feed the green-eyed monster, simply unfollow them. Instead follow people and accounts that inspire you to be a better version of yourself. If following someone on social media brings more negative feelings and thoughts than positivity, it only makes sense to unsubscribe. Why continually be inundated with posts that make you feel bad about yourself?
The hidden beauty of social media apps is the Unfollow button. If there are people you are subscribed to online that directly or indirectly cause you to feed the green-eyed monster, simply unfollow them. Instead follow people and accounts that inspire you to be a better version of yourself. If following someone on social media brings more negative feelings and thoughts than positivity, it only makes sense to unsubscribe. Why continually be inundated with posts that make you feel bad about yourself?
Delete
A more extreme way to curb social media envy is to simply delete your account(s). Believe it or not, there are actually people who don’t have Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat accounts. It really won’t be the end of the world. If going completely dark on social media is too much for you, then leave just one account open, but consider the first point above (Limit your use).
A more extreme way to curb social media envy is to simply delete your account(s). Believe it or not, there are actually people who don’t have Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat accounts. It really won’t be the end of the world. If going completely dark on social media is too much for you, then leave just one account open, but consider the first point above (Limit your use).
Stop comparing yourself
The saying goes “Comparison is the thief of joy.” With social media it’s easy to compare yourself, your achievements, your circumstances with what you see out there. It’s easier said than done, but you must remember that everyone is different. We are all on our different journeys; we have different purposes; each one of us is unique. This means you! You are unique and your life is uniquely yours.
The saying goes “Comparison is the thief of joy.” With social media it’s easy to compare yourself, your achievements, your circumstances with what you see out there. It’s easier said than done, but you must remember that everyone is different. We are all on our different journeys; we have different purposes; each one of us is unique. This means you! You are unique and your life is uniquely yours.
Create your own #Goals
These days, everything on social media is #Goals or #Everything or #GivingLife. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with getting inspiration from someone’s travels, awards, skills, fitness routines; it can sometimes seem unattainable. How about looking inward and improving on yourself? Create goals, big or small, that you would be proud to show off when they have been achieved.
These days, everything on social media is #Goals or #Everything or #GivingLife. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with getting inspiration from someone’s travels, awards, skills, fitness routines; it can sometimes seem unattainable. How about looking inward and improving on yourself? Create goals, big or small, that you would be proud to show off when they have been achieved.
Count your blessings
The popular chorus tells us to count our blessings one by one. Gratitude is a big way to curb envy! When you are too busy acknowledging the good bits and highlights about your life, you will find that you are less worried about whether someone else is doing better than you. There are several ways to do this – saying affirmations out loud, writing in a journal, having a gratitude jar where you write little notes of things you’re thankful for – feel free to read through them when you’re having a bad day. You can even take it to your social media accounts and do a 31-Day Challenge where you share things about your life that you are thankful for. Try it!
The popular chorus tells us to count our blessings one by one. Gratitude is a big way to curb envy! When you are too busy acknowledging the good bits and highlights about your life, you will find that you are less worried about whether someone else is doing better than you. There are several ways to do this – saying affirmations out loud, writing in a journal, having a gratitude jar where you write little notes of things you’re thankful for – feel free to read through them when you’re having a bad day. You can even take it to your social media accounts and do a 31-Day Challenge where you share things about your life that you are thankful for. Try it!
Get REAL
In today’s world of “The Creatives” it can be easy to forget that much of life online is curated. This means that majority of the posts you see are carefully selected, edited and crafted to show THE BEST of people’s lives. I remember the first time I heard at a blogger meetup that I should never post a photo I took with my phone, because camera photos are always clearer and sharper. Before then, I didn’t know it was that serious. Underneath the apparent perfection, everyone lives real lives! There are disappointments, rejections, hardships, challenges, etc. Don’t let the edited version of someone else’s life cause you anxiety and feelings of inadequacy.
In today’s world of “The Creatives” it can be easy to forget that much of life online is curated. This means that majority of the posts you see are carefully selected, edited and crafted to show THE BEST of people’s lives. I remember the first time I heard at a blogger meetup that I should never post a photo I took with my phone, because camera photos are always clearer and sharper. Before then, I didn’t know it was that serious. Underneath the apparent perfection, everyone lives real lives! There are disappointments, rejections, hardships, challenges, etc. Don’t let the edited version of someone else’s life cause you anxiety and feelings of inadequacy.
Speaking of getting real, in my next post, I will shed some light on how people edit and curate their social media posts in the quest of perfection.
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