Perfectionism is at an all time high with the rise of social media, and it can destroy our perception of how normal people live their lives. Most people only post highlight reels of their day online, and it can cause us to think that other’s lives are filled with happiness, productivity, and fun activities all the time. A lot of influencers post videos about an “average” day in their life, and the video seems like everyday is productive and fun, and that they have their entire life together. However, the reality is that no one’s life is actually like that. It is impossible, as a human being, to only have good days, and never have off ones. Nowadays, comparing ourselves is super easy, but it is important to recognize that even the people who seem to have the perfectly put together life also have moments that aren’t so polished – they just may not show it online or talk about it with others. No one wants to post the boring, or less glamorous parts of their day online, but it doesn’t mean that those moments don’t exist. We cannot be at our 100% all the time; it wouldn’t be normal if we were. Having bad days is part of life and they make the good days even more special.
You are human
Ever notice how most living creatures have a period of rest? For example, no flower blooms all year long, leaves on the trees change color and fall off and bears hibernate for the winter. However, it is important to note that the thing they all have in common is that they always come back. Flowers come back into bloom, leaves grow back on the trees, and bears emerge from hibernation. Humans, on the other hand, don’t have a specific season of rest or migration, but we are living creatures at the end of the day. We need rest, and we experience big changes and periods of hardship. We should allow ourselves the grace to experience these life events and emotions, because they are necessary for growth. There is a pressure to be perceived as perfect all the time, but in order to grow as a human being, change is necessary, an accepting that moments of struggle are inevitable helps us to get through them quicker.
Opening up
A lot of us go through things alone, in silence, because we are afraid to be seen as weak or not successful if we open up about the challenges we are facing. However, chances are, the person siting next to you at any point is currently going through, or has gone through something similar. If we all make a conscious effort to be more open about the less glamorous parts of our life on social media, call our friends and family for advice, and not be afraid to cry, it can encourage others to open up, too. No one’s life is ever what it seems, and “perfect” is a made up concept that doesn’t exist.