Insecurity is a feeling of not being good enough and uncertainty about yourself. It makes it harder for an individual to simply reach their goals and they are very uncertain and stressed about situations and relationships in their lives. Insecurity is something we’ve all been through and many are still insecure about themselves.
These days it’s even harder to feel good enough about yourself with the constant comparison on social media. We are accustomed to scrolling and taking in other people’s lives. Our minds are filled with edited bodies or unrealistic standards. We see people with millions of followers and ‘perfect’ bodies. Once you take all this in, you start to ask many, many questions.”I would kill to have a flat stomach like her” and “I would be so happy in life if I had as many followers and likes that they have” or “Wow their skin is so clear, free of acne and cellulite”. Sound familiar? You’d be lying if you said you have not once compared yourself to another individual on the internet.
Social media creates these unnecessary insecurities
A lot of the time social media makes you realize certain features and qualities about yourself that aren’t bad, but while everyone looks the same on the internet we all think we should look like them. Get a smaller nose, get a bigger butt, love handles? Can’t have those or else you’re considered overweight, the list can go on for days. We start to notice our imperfections and start to worry about them in real life. We walk around thinking, “Oh no they are staring at the zit on my face, etc”. This is all so unhealthy and no wonder we can’t find beauty or confidence in ourselves these days. Just know that even the biggest celebrities and influencers have the same struggles and insecurities that you do. We need to stop comparing and start complementing one another in real life.
What does this lead to?
Sometimes when we feel insecure we will do anything in a moment to feel better and gain instant gratification to ‘feel better’. You saw Kendall Jenner wearing cargo pants? Better go buy some! Don’t get me wrong I love shopping and cargo pants, but celebrities and influencers have a large say in what trends are going on and what you think you should be buying. I’m also definitely not saying that I haven’t gotten new shoes or clothes and haven’t shown them off to social media, I have 1000%. It is like a second nature to us these days. Showing off so people can comment and like your photo or video. When you start to learn more about yourself, heal insecurities, and start to gain more confidence within yourself, you will start to post whatever makes you happy and you won’t care about the likes or followers. You will do it out of your own joy. Learning this is a process too.
Trying to prove your self worth
Who doesn’t love a good complement? Social media is an ocean for quick compliments whenever you post something. Then when you post something no one comments or you don’t get as many likes you start to think, “What’s wrong with me?” “Is this photo ugly?” “Are people starting to think I’m annoying?” “Oh no I lost 5 followers, what did I do wrong?” You know what this sounds like? A whole lot of people pleasing and chasing. We are always trying to show people how cool we are or how good we are at something to try and make ourselves feel better. When you truly know that you are good at something or that you are posting for true fun and to try to spread positivity a lot of these stresses and worries start to go away. Oh your crush didn’t like your post? F that, you are cool just the way you are and don’t need gratification from anyone. Unless it’s a dog instagram account then that would be pretty cool.
Temporary happiness
All the likes and comments on your social media, if good, will only provide happiness for a short period of time. Then you will be chasing the next thing down to see how you can impress people next. This could also ruin long term goals that you have for yourself. Such as you could be blowing money on buying things you only use once or twice just because it’s trendy. Also thinking about other activities you could be doing instead of being on social media. Go outside and tan or go for a walk to clear your mind, go paint in a field to inspire you! Do something that makes you feel alive, you will start to discover more about yourself and the more content with yourself you will be, therefore the less time on social media. If you are a content creator/influencer your job is to be on the internet, if you find yourself in a rut try to make it a goal to create more than you consume.
Like anything in life, social media has many amazing opportunities that can change your life for the better, but it can also turn the other way where you feel stuck in this toxic cycle that isn’t benefiting you. Take everything with a grain of salt and start putting down your phone and live in the moment. A good tip that really helps start your day off right is to not go on your phone the first hour of your day. Most of the time social media is all for show so don’t take things personally or compare and wish. Start doing life and post what makes you really happy, not what you think will get you the most likes and followers.
