Social Media like anything that is over consumed and uncontrolled can eventually become an issue for some. Social media has provided the perfect platform for connecting with long distant family members, networking and catching up with childhood friends.
However, when we are not living the life we want we welcome distractions and reasons to take our minds off of what is currently going in our lives.
When does social media become an issue?
When social media distracts us from making progress in life whether in our relationships, with family, work or school – it can have serious consequences. Rather than working on our own relationships, many of us prefer to admire and comment on relationships we see others have. It does not matter if it’s a family member, friend, social media/reality TV star or even someone we don’t know.
We watch the timelines of others having a good time in parties, traveling to exotic locations or spending large amounts of money on material things. Comparing ourselves to others we begin to feel as if we are not living the life we think we should. Constant bombardment of timelines where people are posting themselves experiencing the “good life” gets us thinking. Finally, we make a decision to start “enjoying” life more because we too deserve to experience these same things.
To achieve these experiences or material things, we decide to spend money we don’t have and misuse credit to buy things that bring temporary excitement. Ultimately putting ourselves into debt and farther away from our dreams. In some cases, we compare ourselves to others and decide we are unhappy with our bodies. As a result, we resort to medical procedures to achieve the body we want without the effort to achieve it ourselves.
Becoming more dependent on external things and people we no longer look inside of ourselves to achieve the goals we want. Developing a microwave mentality for our lives – wanting quick results with little to no effort.
Stop Comparing
Social media can be a great tool and outlet, but when we start comparing ourselves to others a host of issues can appear. Often times we don’t know the full story of someone’s timeline. In many cases, material things and temporary moments of excitement act as a band-aids covering deeper wounds of unhappiness.
Only when we actively take control of our lives, confronting our issues head on, can we dictate our path to success and happiness. Making consistent decisions that propel us toward our goals and making progress in life and in our relationships is how our timelines become the envy of others.