Welcome everyone to the show! This adventure is full of highs and lows. Look into the lives of others, see how perfect everything is, or is it? Step right up and let’s all partake on this journey together, welcome to the, Comparison Monster.
Social media is something that we cannot escape in this fast-paced society. Everyone has it, everyone does it, and everyone has mixed feelings about it, depending on the day. It’s almost hard to imagine what our world was like before Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc. In fact, I bet many of you may not remember a time without these platforms. Social media has allowed us to stay connected with friends and family, learn new skills, find new recipes to try, and most of all it has opened a set of large, double doors, into the world of comparison.
Now, I’m first going to address the world of mothers out there. We all know that “mom guilt”, is a real thing. Every one of us has experienced it in some way. “I feel guilt because I work”, “I feel guilt because I don’t work.” “Is my child getting enough tummy time?” “Have I exposed them to enough classical music so that they get into college?” “Maybe I’ve fed them one to many Oreos?!” These are the real thoughts that go through our heads. Social media is one of the many places that can open the floodgates to those thoughts for us. Let’s be honest here, we all have that one friend or person we are following that has glowing skin 24-7, healthy perfectly placed hair (that obviously has been brushed, unlike yours), perfect clothes that seem to be lacking any spit-up, drool, or signs of a child licking them, and their kitchen is SPOTLESS. My first thought is, HOW?! How can this be real? How is it that they’ve managed to get every dish in the dishwasher, dinner cleaned up (let alone prepared and ate), and at the end of the day they have perfectly matching pajamas for their whole family, who are amazingly all tucked into their own beds and sound asleep. I instantly start to re-evaluate my whole life. Why can’t I do this, why is my kitchen a disaster, is my child even wearing pajamas? Now if you’re that person who I described above and you’re life is perfect, I give you a standing ovation. Go you! But, for many of us this isn’t the life we live everyday, and you know what….it’s okay! We need to stop judging others, but we also need to stop judging ourselves. You are a great mom, wife, daughter, sister, and friend. Don’t sell yourself short. Appreciate those beautiful and amazing women who have it all going, but don’t under appreciate yourself and your family. You got this!
To the youth out there. Be wary of social media. I’m not saying you need to completely go “old school” and ditch the smartphone and go back to T-9 texting (which I’m sure many of you don’t even know what that is), but be wary of what you surround yourself with, and what you place in front of your eyes. The world of social media can fool you. You can think people are your friends, when they may not have your best interest at heart. You may think your life isn’t as good as the lives you see on social media. Remember, your life is real and can be what you make it. A selfie may look perfect, but how do you see yourself on the inside? Have fun, be safe, be smart, and above all else, remember you can be whoever you want to be. Don’t limit yourself to what you see “trending” on your newsfeed.
Social media can be a great tool. I run a business on social media, just like I use social media for the purpose of this blog. I’m not saying it’s a terrible invention. I’m just saying, don’t let it turn into a comparison monster. I’m as guilty as the next person when it comes to comparing myself to people like the Kardashians, other bloggers, other business owners, moms, etc. At the end of the day though, I know what my life is worth and what I can do with it. I see that God has a much larger platform than Facebook and Instagram for my life. What do you see in God’s newsfeed for your life?