“Did you see what Julie posted?”
"Did you know that Mary went on another trip?”
“Were you invited the party last weekend?"
"I saw some pictures on Facebook and Instagram.”
Are these questions familiar? Do you look at your social media and make judgements? Are you sometimes resentful or envious? Nothing to be ashamed of, it’s all very common. You need to learn to change your hasty decisions and become more mindful of your thoughts. When we look at people smiling and taking pictures together, why do we not feel happy? Why do we get emotions of jealousy and anger. Maybe even curiosity? Is it because we feel lonely, less confident in our friendships, or maybe left out? Or did you miss a party because of a family commitment or some responsibility at school or work? What makes you feel this way? Is it justifiable? Here are three emotions that are created by social media that you should look out for and then work on.
1. Negativity. It is very easy to see why this feeling can occur. Maybe you weren’t at an event or your friends didn’t invite you. You’re not friends with people in the picture, but they are having a good time and you’re not, so you feel resentment towards them for being happy. Instead of feeling negative and creating these feelings, try to change your thoughts to positive ones. Its only pictures. If they are your friends, they’re not hiding anything from you, and isn't happiness of others the best blessing to give your friend anyway?
2. Sadness. There are those who feel sad looking at the pictures. Why do you feel sad? Figure out what is making you depressed. Is it because you are an introvert and wish you could be out with friend on social media? Are you being left out? Or is it some other factor? Viewing people on social media is a way to stay connected and see what is going on. If you are feeling sad, then maybe take a break from looking at what people are doing. Remove yourself from the source that is causing you pain. The feelings you are having are not from social media they are from yourself. You are in control and it is up to you to think happy thoughts and think positively so that you start flowing with positive energy. Wrapping yourself up in other peoples lives is a waste of your time. Spend your energy on yourself, not something that is going to give you no returns in the end.
3. Obsessiveness. This one is something that can cause you to neglect your responsibilities. You look at one persons photo, then you see who they are with and go to that persons profile, then to another profile and then another. Pretty soon you going down a rabbit hole. You’re not even looking at your friends anymore, but their brothers, sisters, teachers, cousins and beyond. All for what? You are never going to know them. You are spending hours on useless activity. Not attending to your responsibilities, eating right or sleeping. How is this healthy? You are losing control. What you need to do is step back, and reevaluate. Why are you obsessing? What is missing in your life that you feel pleasure from seeing into the live of others? What is not in alignment that others seem more interesting? What are you hiding from? These are all question you should ask yourself if this obsessive behavior causes you to neglect or ignore important duties in your life.
There may be other feelings, that evoke from social media. But I have seen people talk about others in the social media context with strong emotions. They become stiff, their posture changes and the tone of their voice become strong. Social media started out as a way to connect others. Old friends, classmates, family members from all over the world. This was so positive and it is still a great form of connections. What is slowly happening is that it has become a form of popularity. It has become a form of showing off and letting people know too much. I am guilty of many of these emotions myself. It is natural, but once you start sinking in to these feeling, recognize it and ground yourself. What we need to realize is that you can’t be everywhere all the time.You don’t have to be at every party. It doesn’t mean that you are any less of a friend. Just take it as the universe telling you to chill out and take time for yourself and use your energy on something else.. Use catchy text, bullets, links and more to bring your words to life.story. Use catchy text, bullets, links and more to bring your words to life.