I love all social media! Some might call me addicted, but I like to refer to my love of social media as inspiration;) One of my favorite things to do while taking a break from work, blogging, or taking a moment to myself is to check Instagram. I follow so many amazing women to include fashion bloggers, makeup artists, hair stylists, and friends. I love looking at their pictures and pulling inspiration from them- or simply just admiring a beautiful picture. However, there are points in time when looking at these pictures does not give me inspiration but rather envy. I look at these women and I think, “My clothes aren’t name brand”, or “I’m not as pretty as her.” With these negative thoughts I was slowly putting myself down and started to feel insecure. Instead of being happy with my life, and who I am, I start to play the comparison game (which is NEVER good!). After a few times of social media envy occurring I realized I needed to get over this funk and stop comparing myself to other women. Each of us has our own path and that doesn’t make it any better or worse, it just means each path is unique [and I am learning to embrace mine:)]! After figuring out what tips and reminders helped me get through this envy and comparison game I wanted to share them all with you all:)! This doesn’t mean the envy doesn’t creep in every once in awhile, but I will say it has greatly decreased and I am so much happier:). So, here are some tips and reminders for you when social media envy hits you! I hope they help you as much as they have helped me!
Tips:
– Take A Break From Social Media: There have been days when I have shut off all my social media (except to upload a picture letting you know I have a new blog post up). Allowing myself a few days of no social media allows me to get some perspective and live in the moment.
– Count to Five: Count at least five things in your life you are doing amazing at, receiving fulfillment in, or genuinely love in your life. When you start focusing on what you do have instead of what you don’t, you will instantly feel better. I have done this a few times and every time I finish I am happier than when I started! (It only takes a minute!)
– For You: Do at LEAST one thing everyday which makes you happy! This could range from getting your favorite coffee drink to starting that one hobby you’ve been putting off.
Reminders:
– The pictures you see are a snapshot in time. As someone who works full-time in the Army my #ootd is my Army Combat Uniform (ACU’s), my hair is in a bun, and I put on minimal makeup. This look is not as glamorous as the pictures I post on here everyday. The pictures I post daily are not what I look like every second of every day. Those pics are simply snapshots of a moment in time meant to showcase a particular outfit.
– Having a more modest media feed does not make you any less of a person. I know there are some amazing Instagram feeds out there of women traveling all over the world and wearing the most glamorous clothes AND to top it off, they have such beautiful pictures you can’t help but to double tap! Not you? TOTALLY fine! Just because you aren’t posting pictures wearing the name brand clothing or jetting all over the world doesn’t mean the new picture you just posted of your new puppy is any less exciting (or whatever events are going on in your life!). So post away!
– “Likes” and “Followers” do not dictate your self worth. When I first started this blog (five months ago) my confidence was dictated by how many “likes” or “followers” I got on Instagram about my particular blog post for that day. My confidence would soar when one of my pictures got a ton of likes, and when a picture didn’t receive as much love it was like someone took a needle and deflated my confidence. I finally realized I LOVE the outfits I post, and I started this blog to inspire others to look and feel their best! Just because someone doesn’t share my particular outfit enthusiasm that day does not mean my outfit wasn’t great. So long as I love the pics I am posting that is all that matters!
What do YOU do to help with overcome social media envy?! I would love to hear from you in the comments below!
I know this has been a longer post but I hope these tips help! Thank you SO much for reading:)
Great post, it reminds me of the quote “don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.” Thanks so much for sharing.
https://laceandpearlsblog.com
I had been struggling with social media envy this past month, and wanted to share some of the tips I found really helped me out. I didn’t realize many other women also go through this:)!
xx Julianna
[…] week on the blog I posted my most personal post to date talking about social media envy. I hope some of my tips and recommendations helped if any of you have ever felt this way:) If […]
Oh girl- I know exactly what you mean! Some days you’re feeling good about what you’ve accomplished and other days you see other bloggers instagrams and it’s just like “nope, that will never be me.”
I want to tell you a little story, and it’s absolutely a true one. It’s about me finding your Instagram. I don’t know how I specifically remember these thoughts but…I do. I started my blog in May 2, and I remember finding your insta and seeing your photos and going holy cow she is amazing! I definitely want to follow her and I hope she follows me back! I better do it not before she has thousands of followers because her photos are super high quality.
Yeah. It’s embarrassing to tell you this story. But I guess I wanted you to see an outside perspective on your blog.
Victoria
PS. Thank you for your service to our country!
Thank you so much Victoria for your message:) I feel the same way about feeling good about what you’ve accomplished and then seeing someone who has toped that accomplishment, or made it seem like what you did was so insignificant. I LOVE your insta and all your posts- they are so funny, honest, and beautiful. I am so happy we are insta/blogger friends! I hope you have a wonderful night!
Julianna