I will be honest, scrolling through the Facebook News Feed is not always a happy activity.
Rarely I scroll, but when I do I’m painfully reminded by all the things I don’t have (yet).
It’s normal. We compare all the time.
Not just with other people, we also compare ourselves with ourselves.
Our versions of the past for example, or our lives we lived back in the 90s, 00s or e.g. 2005.
So when you scroll and feel sadness or disappointment, understand that this is normal.
Even when you know that those people who post their highlight reels also deal with their insecurities and issues of life.
With that knowledge, you want to do 2 things:
- Avoid the news feed altogether
- Unfollow/mute accounts so only posts that entertain or uplift you are visible
When you do scroll (which probably happens once in a while when you keep using social media actively), ensure that at least the majority of those posts display information that doesn’t evoke such negative disempowering emotions.
In the video, I explain how I understand specific negative feelings I have when I scroll, but how I reframe quickly.
In other words, I don’t enter victim mode but remind myself why I make specific sacrifices.
Sacrifices meaning not focusing on the short term pleasures but on long term bliss.
I don’t want to sacrifice what I want most for what I want now.
So I remind myself of my situation and my vision where I want to go.
I remember there is a reason why I may not have “it all” now while being aware of what “it all” exactly means to me.
The best thing to do is of course to avoid the news feed altogether. Avoid triggers that disempower you.
When you do find yourself on the news feed, understand that you will automatically compare your life with other people’s posted highlight reels.
Another question you can ask yourself is what exactly are you sad about? What is it that you see others have that you don’t have?
But that’s for a different blog and video.