Social Media And Happiness
The internet has become a part of our lives in so many ways, and social media is one of the biggest. We’re constantly connected to friends and family, but also to people we’ve never met. It’s easy to get swept away by all that attention from strangers and feel like your life isn’t quite real unless you’re getting an endless stream of likes on your latest post. But here’s the thing: You don’t have to live up to anyone else’s expectations except your own. So if you’re feeling unhappy because you think people aren’t paying enough attention or giving enough praise, take a step back and remember what really matters in life – which probably isn’t a single social media post anyway!
You don’t have to post every detail of your life. Be Happy
You don’t have to post everything you do on social media.
You don’t have to post everything you think on social media.
You don’t have to post everything you feel on social media.
You don’t have to post everything you eat on social media.
There is more about life than like and retweet
This might sound obvious, but it bears repeating: social media is not real life. It’s not the same thing as having face-to-face conversations with people in the flesh, or taking a vacation in another country, or moving across the country to be with someone you love. Social media is just one way of communicating with people-and it has its place. But it shouldn’t be your first choice for interacting with others (or even your second).
This might sound obvious, but it bears repeating: social media is not real life. It’s not the same thing as having face-to-face conversations with people in the flesh, or taking a vacation in another country, or moving across the country to be with someone you love. Social media is just one way of communicating with people and it has its place. But it shouldn’t be your first choice for interacting with others (or even your second).
If you’re struggling with feeling lonely and isolated, give yourself permission to unplug from time to time -and focus on making real connections that improve your mental health and well-being instead of relying on technology for validation.
Connect with others who share your interests in real life
- Ignore your fears about what people think of you, and be yourself.
- Don’t worry about what other people will say, do or think of you. Instead, focus on making a positive difference in the world around you.
All of this is not to say that you can’t have fun in the digital world. Just as it’s important to connect with people who share your interests, it’s also important to connect with people who don’t share your interests. This gives you a wider circle of friends, and it means that when you’re feeling down about life in general because everyone around you seems to be doing better than you are, at least there’ll be someone out there who knows how much hard work went into getting their job done despite having no idea what they were doing.
It’s also great if those connections lead not just to friendship but also collaboration on projects or even just support for said projects (or just knowing someone who knows someone). If nothing else comes from these connections, at least one thing will: awareness that other people exist; awareness that other people think about things differently than we do; awareness that other people are going through some tough times but still manage somehow despite all odds being against them—all of which helps us see our own problems as smaller than they seem and makes us feel less alone in our struggles for survival.
When you’re using social media, don’t let it get you down. Don’t compare yourself to other people or their posts.
If you want to post a picture of something cool that happened today, just do it! It’s great for you and your followers will love seeing what’s going on with your life. If someone else has posted something similar, that doesn’t mean they’ve done better than you, it means they’re living their lives in a way that inspires others by sharing experiences and feelings. If someone else posts something different from yours and theirs is more popular, this doesn’t make either of your posts less valuable or good, it just shows which content resonated best with the audience at the time.
It’s important to keep in mind that social media isn’t real life, and it definitely isn’t a reflection of reality. It’s really just a collection of opinions, values, interests and personalities. That said, it can be easy to forget this if you spend a lot of time on Facebook or Instagram. But the truth is that the people on your feed aren’t actually your friends or family, they’re just people who share similar interests as you do (you know…maybe not always). So when someone posts something about how much they love their new puppy or how excited they are for their upcoming vacation-even though those things don’t interest you at all-it’s okay to step back from what they’re saying and remind yourself that it doesn’t define them as human beings.
Don’t let the internet define who you are
The internet is almost always there and it can be hard not to compare our lives with those of others. We may envy what other people post about their travels or their dinner parties or the attention they get on social media. But you are more than your online persona, and you are more than what people say about you online.
You are more than what you read online. Rather than absorb every article that comes across your feed, take time out of each day to read something in-depth (like an actual book!). If a long article doesn’t interest you, skim through it instead!
You are more than what you watch online – take time away from Netflix binges and YouTube videos by going outside for a walk or spending time with friends at a bar or coffee shop instead. That way when someone asks “What did I miss?” later on down the road, all of your responses will be considered rather than just “Meh” followed by another click on Facebook’s refresh button…and then another click…and then another one….
Social media can be a great tool for staying connected with people and getting inspired. But it’s not everything-it’s just one piece of a larger life. You don’t have to post every detail of your life, keep up appearances, or compete with others on the internet for attention. In fact, you shouldn’t! Instead of worrying about what other people think of you and comparing yourself to others all the time (both things that happen when people use social media), focus on being happy in real life with people who matter most to you.
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