Since its existence, social media has served as the most powerful tool when it comes to communication and engagement. Everyday, we are affected by the power of social media, both directly and indirectly. For most people, like influencers, they will use their platform to promote either themselves, a brand, or a product. Others may use social media as a way to target others in a negative way. Either way, it’s important to use social media in a manner that is seen as appropriate and not obscene. But, if you’re someone who constantly uses social media, do you ever compare your life to someone else’s life?
You may have heard this quote before: “Comparison is the thief of joy”. This can be true in many aspects of life. Whether it be school, work, and even within a group of friends, comparing yourself to something else can severely lower your self-esteem. On social media, we witness a lot of unrealistic depictions on people’s lives. Viewing a photo dump of a friend’s trip to Italy could be enough to grind your gears, but what if this person is unhappy with themselves? What if this person is covering their true self from the world by using a “plastic version” of themselves? Moments like these can affect us mentally and it’s hard to cope with it, because it’s in our faces all the time.
The more that you compare yourselves to others, the more you will feel bad about yourself.
Separating myself away from social media was one of the hardest things that I went through. For starters, when I took my first social media break, I suffered from major FOMO (fear of missing out). I felt extremely lonely and worried all the time, because it didn’t feel right not knowing what was going on or if I was missing out on something important. My nights used to be filled with endless staring at my phone, scrolling through my feed that was filled with pictures of people partying and enjoying life. I fed into this too much, and overtime, it made me feel empty. It made me feel like I was doing something wrong. I used to ask myself,”Why can’t my life be like theirs?” However, I knew that comparing myself to someone else wasn’t going to help with my mental health nor my self-identity.
Taking breaks from social media has taught me a lot of things. I used to spend my free time on social media and doubt myself over every little thing. During my break from social media, I started picking up new hobbies, such as journaling, reading, and traveling. If I had spent more time on something that was making me unhappy, I don’t think I would’ve discovered something new. Dedicating my time to the toxicity of social media made me feel not just empty, but worthless. Deleting all the social apps from my phone felt like a major decision that I made in my life so far. Not only did I do it to stop comparing myself to other people, I mainly did it for my mental health. Releasing all that pressure of having to stay on social media made me feel more confident and secure within myself.
I will admit, what I went through were the likes of a social media addiction. The hard thing was not noticing the darkness that social media brought into my life. To anyone who is going through or went through the same thing, know your limits. Know when to stop and debrief. Know when to say no to something that is making you uncomfortable. Taking a break from the digital world will help you both mentally and spiritually.