I’m not going to lie..I have a love/hate relationship with social media. It can be so good, yet it can be so bad. For me, and probably for most people it’s a necessary evil. I keep it (specifically Facebook) so I can keep up with neighborhood events and more specifically anything having anything to do with the kids school. It’s definitely saved my butt a time or two (or three or four). Whether it’s updates on school traffic, delays because of weather, or searching marketplace for school resale finds. It’s also fun to use for other marketplace finds and of course the hilarious videos or two. I’ve even found some great products thanks to the amazing sales ads that permeate the site everywhere.
The bad…seeing happy families, married couples, or otherwise seemingly perfect lives. Does that sound strange at all to you or does that ring a chord? More often than not I find myself not on facebook or if I am, really quick to check the parents’ site for updates on school clothes or any other pertinent information. However, in those moments I do scroll past some super happy, super lovey, seemingly perfect lives of others. And it hurts. Gosh it hurts.
Why does it hurt so bad? Because of comparison. I look at those posts and all I can see is…”bet he isn’t cheating on his wife” or “bet she doesn’t yell at her kids” or “is there anything she’s not good at?” Or sometimes in my most snarkiest moments all I can say or see in those posts is “what is he hiding?” or “he surprised her with what? He must’ve really done something.” Never do I say good for her or good for them. Never do I say wow, what a wonderful family that is or that is so sweet that he took her on a surprise trip.
Well, in my own defense it’s not a 100% standard response. There are times I see things/posts and it is sweet and I am truly, genuinely happy for that person. However, the times I don’t quickly taint everything else. It’s like I can see the good but the bad is all I remember and that is what sticks with me.
I have to remember no one person’s life is always as they present completely on social media. Whether it’s a picture of a living room that’s been subtly changed or blurred to leave off the mess in the background. Or the filter that’s on the picture (someone please show me how to use filters..I still haven’t figured that one out) or the glowing post that was probably true but they conveniently forgot to leave off everything else that happened leading up to it or after.
I also have to remember that my life is not someone else’s. Just because my husband cheated on me does not mean everyone else’s is or was or is thinking about it. Just because I struggle with body image does not mean no one else does or that any other body out there is perfect. I am who I am, I am who God created me to be. I am not someone else, my life is not someone else’s. I have to own that, I need to own that. Once I do I can be proud of that again. I can be proud of me, I can be proud of my family, I can be proud of my husband and the relationship we have together. When I stop looking at others I can start looking at myself, God’s design for me and what I want my life to be. It’s mine to make it what I want.
