While scrolling on Twitter last week I happened to read a tweet that encompassed a woman’s announcement of the sudden death of her friend to a stress-related stroke. She was only 26-years-old. Not even a day later I read another tweet with a similar announcement, except this person was 25. The call for self-care was evident while reading these tweets and they reminded me of other stressors that plague the minds of young adults.
We are all aware of how impactful the content we view on social media may be and how it has the ability to influence us in ways that are more harmful than good. One would think that the constant resurgence of ‘I did it!’ posts we often consume would encourage us to meet our goals, but sometimes we find ourselves falling into the trap of comparison. Seeing images of your peers accomplish their goals at a faster rate than you or accomplishing things deemed extraordinary, can lead one to believe that things in their lifetime aren’t happening as fast as they should be. This, however, is not true!
I could mention the lives of celebrities who did not acquire fame or fortune until their late 40’s or 50’s but none of that feels real when you’re probably wallowing in fear of failure right now. As young adults, it is imperative for us to be patient with ourselves and our journeys and remember that life is not a race! People’s life experiences vary and everything– I mean everything– happens in due time. The comparison of our selves to others may not always be intentional, but the ways in which we compare not only effects the ways we care for ourselves but can potentially stump our growth as well. We tend to compare downward if we feel as if there is someone who is at a lower status than us and the upward comparisons arise when we believe someone is better than us.
Neither are beneficial to our growth because it leads us to believe that all we have attained during our own journeys is insufficient when they are truly invaluable.