Sharing and socializing at the tip of your fingertips can be a beautiful thing… until we begin to abuse its purpose and misconstrue its intent.

It is a digital age that we live in – an age so fascinating yet nearly impossible to decipher. While I can attest to the beauty of handheld devices serving as main modes of communication, this also means that we are CONSTANTLY living in a digital world.

We wake up and INSTANTLY find ourselves on social media. Browsing through every single platform… sometimes even before checking our emails. Mindlessly scrolling through feeds. Subconsciously wishing for what we don’t have. Double tapping every single picture with a hint of self-doubt. And while everything appears to be “all things beautiful,” this leads to a rather unhealthy chase for perfection.

We come across someone else prettier, skinnier, better(?) and our self-compassion begins to hurt.

With this digital age comes a price. We compare. We envy the facade, not truly understanding what is behind-the-scenes.

What we don’t realize is that people only document what they want others to see. I mean, who would want to showcase their darkest moments on a daily basis? Better yet, who would want to see that?

I’ve personally had my fair share of “social media battles.” I call them battles because well, I’ve put up a fight against MYSELF – my thoughts and my emotions that have risen from these mindless scrolls. I’ve shamelessly started fights with ex-boyfriends because of whose pictures they’ve liked, who they’re following, questioning why I’m not on THEIR feed… not seeing that social media wasn’t to blame.

Rather, I had my own insecurities that projected from my obsession with social media; I was chasing perfection… a battle I always lost.

I know not everyone has my insecurities, but I still stress the importance of taking a social media hiatus. Once we begin to prioritize time spent on social media rather than working towards our own goals, that is when we truly need to reflect and start making changes. After all, each of us has something we’re working towards.

To allow social media to strip that away from your envisioned goals is disheartening and so unworthy. After all, social media is SUPPOSED to be a beautiful thing. It shouldn’t serve as a pedestal for us to compare our lives to. Juxtaposed to the flawless content curated amongst the feeds we follow, comparing ourselves will only set us up for disappointment and failure.

Admiration becomes envy. Envy becomes jealousy. Jealousy becomes lethal as we kill our visions. Once we aspire to change ourselves based on this criteria and social comparisons, then our perspectives need to shift.

While I’m all for striving for progression, it should be a healthy journey. Why do we compare? If we’re putting everyone else on a high pedestal, shouldn’t we put ourselves on that same level? Why is it so hard for us to look at ourselves with more light or at least with full of love?

Because social feeds are so easy to turn to, all of these perceived “highlight reels” suddenly downgrade our own efforts when we are swamped with images of others succeeding. Most of the time, social media is meant to serve as a motivating factor as we applaud one another for their successes.

With societal pressure and FOMO nowadays, people lose sight of what truly matters… and that’s when the social media hiatus becomes necessary, to rid yourself of accounts that only bring out negative emotions.

So next time you’re scrolling down your feed and find yourself pulling away or feeling some type of self-doubt, just keep in mind that everyone faces struggles behind closed doors and what is perceived to be perfect… isn’t. And it shouldn’t be. Until we learn to utilize social media in a way where we’re not constantly comparing ourselves, try to take a social media break for a few hours each day, focus on your “real-life feed” and not let others’ “highlight reel” shadow your goals and all that you’ve achieved thus far.