When I need just a second to mentally check-out, I reach for my phone and hit the Instagram app. Zoning and scrolling is such a mindless activity and I am not hating on it! I typically enjoy and welcome the mind-numbing brain break, however sometimes when I’m scrolling through people’s snapshots of their lives, I get an icky feeling in the pit of my stomach. It is that darn comparison bug. It creeps up and bites me! Wow Caroline, look at all these successful “__fill_in_the_blank__,” therapists, art therapists, counselors, women business owners, private practices and working mamas. My inner voice seems to be able to find any sort of way to spew negativity. Most of the time, it comes out as just plain hating on people. Me pulling the poor pitiful me card or the I’m not good enough. Nevertheless, that comparison bug is nothing more than a negative waste of time. And of course, we know this but sometimes it is hard to shake that bug off. In search of a cure, I’ve found a few creative ways that have helped me to creatively and visually ease the bite of the bug on Instagram or social media. Try out these simple techniques.
Authentically engage– When I say authentically engage, what I mean is DON’T just scroll through your feed hitting the “like” button on everyone’s posts. Take time to look at them and like the ones that you really DO like! I even challenge you to write a comment. Not just, “Cute” or “Adorable,” but something more meaningful.
Find inspiration in others – Let peoples posts inspire you, not discourage you. Try to make mental notes about the things on people’s accounts that you find cool, inspiring or jealous worthy and learn from this. If you admire this in others, how can you make this happen in your life?
Find your own successes – Every once in a while, stop yourself from always scrolling on others pages and take a moment to look at yours. I often think we forget to look at our own stories and we forget to honor the accomplishments in our own lives. Celebrate your successes, the big and small ones!
Of course, this is not the answer to ending all that comparison however, it’s a start! And after all, we aren’t prefect and sometimes just being aware is good enough. Now, get back on social media and try out these techniques and squash that nasty little bug!