What to do when social media makes you feel bad

Social media comes in so many forms, that it’s pretty much unavoidable. For the most part, I enjoy looking at social media. I like being able to see what my friends and family are up to in an instant. Social media also offers the chance for you to follow pretty much any celebrity, company, brand, or organization that you want so that you can stay up to date. It gives you the ability to connect (in a way) to people that may live halfway across the world, or that you may not know personally, but admire. Pretty amazing stuff. With all of the benefits of social media, though, there is still a definite down-side to it all. One I realized recently. Social media was affecting my mood, and it was time to say good-bye (sort of).

Social media gives you the chance to see what everyone is up to, but then again, it gives you the chance to see what everyone is up to. Not making sense? Let me explain.

It starts innocently enough. You’re scrolling on Instagram and you come across something that catches your eye. So you look, then you look some more, you check the profile, the comments, the vacations, the celebrations, and the successes. Before you know it, it’s 30 minutes later, and you’ve reached the point where you now hate all aspects of your life because the jealousy has kicked in full-force. What started as an innocent photo of a friends baby has somehow taken you to that friends’ sisters’ friend that vacations in Capri and knows Beyonce. Sound familiar?

What are we really seeing?

We spend our time looking at others feeds and we start to compare our lives to theirs. We start letting ourselves feel bad because of the things we find and what we assume those photos mean. All of the things other people are doing is just high-lighting everything we’re not. Why do we do this to ourselves? The thing is, everything that is on the feeds of other people that is making you feel a certain way isn’t reality. Well, it is, but a slightly altered version of reality.

Social media feeds are a curated version of someone’s life. That’s all it is. What people choose to share are the highlights and best parts of their life. No one is sharing photos of themselves when they haven’t showered, when the kids are sick and throw up in the car (which happened to me last week – TWICE!), when their A/C breaks, or laundry is piling up on the floor. News flash – ALL of these things happen to EVERYONE. Even the people with the most beautiful feeds and lavish lives deal with everyday struggles, they just choose not to share it.

So what do you do?

what to do when social media makes you feel bad

Ok, time for the tough love. Please listen, because this is important. If you find yourself feeling some type of way after looking at someone’s profile, there’s a very simple thing you can do to make yourself feel better – almost immediately. STOP LOOKING AT IT! Sorry to be dramatic. I hate to break it to you, but you’re doing this to yourself, and you need to STOP IT!

You’re never going to be able to control what people choose to share on social media. The only thing you can control in this instance is what you look at. And this doesn’t just go for social media profiles. This can be applied in real life as well.

Listen, it’s very simple – If there is something in your life that makes you feel bad – get rid of it! Is it someone you are friends with on Instagram? Do all of their perfectly lit and angelically posed baby pictures make you hate all the photos of your little ones you snapped on your phone? Unfollow them. Is it a mom at the park you go to that always gives advice in a passive aggressive way that makes you question your skills as a mother? Bye, Felicia! Is it someone that makes plans with you and you feel like all the energy is being sucked out of you after being together? Stop hanging out with them.

Turn the focus inward

Like I said before, You can’t control other people, you can only control what you choose to let into your life, and how you allow it to make you feel. If you need to create some distance between you and whatever it is that makes you feel bad, then do it. There’s no reason for you to spend your time allowing others to make you feel less-than. There are plenty of accounts and people out there with positive messages that you could be following. (I’ll list a few of my favs at the end of this post).

I want you to take an inventory of your life today. If there is anyone you need to distance yourself from, take the steps to do it – for your sake. Maybe take a few moments to unfollow any accounts on social media that make you feel negatively. Replace them with some of my suggestions. Little steps like these could have a huge impact on your mood. You owe it to yourself to do what you can to take steps toward a happier you.