Social media and chronic pain can be a tough mix.
It took me way too long to realize this on my own, so for anyone else who may need to hear it – SOCIAL MEDIA IS FAKE!! Before I accepted that fact, social media was also detrimental to my mental health. I finally decided to leave Instagram completely and I feel so much better. Here are some of the factors that led me to my social media cleanse:
People Don’t post their bad days
Looking at my social media nobody would know that I have chronic pain, because those aren’t the parts of me that I choose to share. Instagram is a highlight reel. The majority of what people are posting is their best smiling selfie, extravagant vacation photos, fun pictures with friends, and all of the cool activities they’re doing.
It’s so easy to get caught up in all of that and start glamourizing other people’s lives and feel dissatisfied with your own. But just because they have all of these good times doesn’t mean people aren’t facing their own struggles behind the scenes as well. And just because the photo they posted is full of smiles doesn’t mean they were actually even having a good time. I had a friend that used to say “I’m going to take a picture for Instagram – everybody look like you’re having fun so people will be jealous!” People put on a show for social media.
it made me too aware of the things i was missing out on
Ignorance is bliss – and social media makes it way harder to ‘not know.’ Most of the time, the way I found out I was excluded from something was by seeing stories or posts on Instagram and it would ruin my day. I didn’t have the ability to not let it hurt my feelings and I would wind up harping on it for way too long.
Then there were times I was invited to something but had to decline because I wasn’t feeling well enough to go. The rest of the day I had to watch updates of the fun I was missing out on which would send me into a pity party spiral about my chronic pain.
comparison is the root of unhappiness
At some point I just had to stop looking at all of the Instagram models with their flat stomachs and perfect butts being paid to party on yachts or promote some product they’ve surely never used. Comparing yourself to others is never going to yield healthy results. Besides – I guarantee the majority of those photos are so heavily edited that they don’t even look like that in real life! I decided for me that removing myself from Instagram would be the easiest way to stop focusing on all of the ways my body didn’t look like these gorgeous models, and begin to appreciate my body for the daily battles it fights and the life it gives me.
If you have the ability to separate “real life” and social media and not let it negatively effect you then I applaud your strength and mental clarity! But if any of this post resonated with you then I would definitely suggest taking a step back from social media. Start out small – take a 24 hour cleanse and see how you feel. It’s tough in the beginning, but as time goes on it may become one of the most freeing and positive self care moves you could make for yourself and you mental health, like it was for me!