Social media is more present now than ever, and honestly, it’s hard to avoid. It’s so easy to get attached to social media. One of my goals on my blog is to help others learn how to live their best life and become their best self, including finding their sources of joy, enjoying the little things, and being fully present in life. Although social media can easily make us lose track of the important things and can make it easy to get swept away by the negativity, hate, and comparison that is so present on it, social media doesn’t have to be this way.
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I’m going to show you how you can turn social media into a positive environment (or more of one) and how to make it a place that you can enjoy rather than a place that makes you feel bad about yourself.
Since we can’t avoid it, let’s make the most of it. Here’s how you can stay positive and confident when you’re on social media!
7 Ways To Stay Positive And Confident On Social Media
Remember the truth
Let’s start off with this, because this is very very important.
The truth is, most people only post the BEST pictures of themselves and the BEST parts of their life.
This doesn’t only go for celebrities such as Kylie Jenner or Ariana Grande. This goes for (pretty much) every single social media user, especially on Instagram and Snapchat.
Although it’s easy to compare yourself to others on social media, remember that what you’re seeing isn’t always natural or real. You don’t see people when they have no makeup on or they’re just having a lazy day in sweatpants. You don’t see the daily struggles they go through.
Comparison on social media stinks because you’re comparing yourself to something that isn’t always real.
So as you scroll through social media, remember that you’re only seeing the best parts of people’s lives.
Here’s two YouTube videos I’ve recently watched that I HIGHLY suggest watching that highlight this point!
- THIS is why you’ll never look like an influencer
- this is why your BODY will never look like an influencers
Unfollow accounts that make you compare yourself
Just as I said above, social media brings lots of comparison. When you compare yourself to others, you lose sight of your own beauty, value, and self-respect.
One of the best pieces of advice I have is to unfollow people that you constantly find yourself comparing yourself to. Whether it’s an influencer, a celebrity, or what, unfollow people that make you feel bad about your own self, or accounts that just make you feel bad in general.
I truly think this is one of the first steps to making social media a positive place where you can remain self-confident, love yourself, and keep self-respect.
Follow accounts that inspire and motivate you
The other day I was thinking about some of my favorite social media platforms. One of them just happens to be Pinterest.
I was thinking…Why do I love Pinterest so much and why do I feel so good about myself when I’m on it?
And then I realized why: Pinterest inspires and motivates me.
When I’m on Pinterest, I’m constantly searching for things that I love (ex. travel destinations), things to better myself (ex. new hairstyles, makeup products), and finding things that motivate me (ex. quotes, crafts). This makes it so stress-free and enjoyable.
Then I realized that I could make ALL my social media feel like this if I focused on following more things I’m passionate about. Things that will inspire me and motivate me and leave me feeling GOOD.
On your social media, follow things that you love and you’re passionate about, that inspire you, and that motivate you. If you keep seeing things that you love and enjoy, your time online will automatically be more positive.
For example, my cousin enjoys thrifting and follows multiple thrifting accounts on Instagram. I like using this an example because she often seems so excited when she goes on the app and finds a new piece of clothing she likes or a sale! Why can’t it be like that for all of us?
Whether it’s fashion, thrifting, traveling, backpacking, cooking, makeup, fishing, gardening, jewelry making, crafts…you name it! Follow more of these things. It will help!
Limit yourself
There is such a thing as too much time on social media.
Try to think as social media as a break in your day, and not a mandatory part of it. What I mean is that sometimes we (I know I’ve been guilty of it) get so lost in social media that doing normal things becomes our break from social media, when in reality social media should be a break from our normal things…if that makes sense LOL.
Don’t forget, you have your whole life to live! There is a whole world out there filled with opportunities, and I guarantee you that you will find much more fulfillment there than you can find on social media.
There’s this YouTube video I remember watching years ago (I can’t remember what it’s called!) But in this video something stuck out to me and I still remember it to this day. A man was talking about life and living it to it’s fullest, and he was talking about this survey that was done on a group of people who were close to passing. And in this video, the man said that almost every person said that they regretted something.
To me, this was just a wake up call that we need to be fully present in every moment and take all the risks and opportunities we have. Not only can social media take up a lot of your time, but it takes up valuable time that you won’t get back. Make sure you make time to actually LIVE.
That itself helps social media to become a more positive place. It’s not a place you just come to when you’re bored and have nothing to do, it’s a place you go to relax. Limiting yourself on social media also helps you to not get swept into comparison and other negativity.
Related: 3 Motivational Apps You Need On Your Phone
Find genuine accounts and people to follow
Remember earlier when I said that most people only show the best parts of their life on social media? I said ‘most’ for a reason…and that’s because there are some people out there who really are genuine and REAL about their day-to-day life and struggles!
Following accounts that are genuine are real are great because it’s a reminder that no one’s life is perfect, no matter how perfect some people may portray it online. And sometimes…it’s good to know that you’re not alone.
I remember I used to follow some influencers and think something was wrong with ME because I was struggling with some things and they seemed to have their whole life together. But I promise you, struggling with things is normal. This is just another example of comparison and how on social media you often compare yourself to something that is sugarcoated.
I always appreciate seeing influencers or people share very vulnerable details about their life and be authentic because it’s not easy, especially with a large following. And that’s why I think it’s so great to follow some accounts like that. Because they are empowering and can help us with our own struggles.
Remember that social media isn’t a priority
Some influencers will definitely disagree, but that’s because social media is they’re job.
But if you’re like me, then social media is just a way to keep up with the world and with our friends and family. (There’s many other things it’s good for too, but you get the jist.)
It’s important to sometimes take a step back and remember that we shouldn’t invest our everything into social media. It’s entertainment in our life, but remember that we have our life to live.
Social media is not a priority. Our priorities are working, building personal relationships, and getting through each day. Making memories, cooking dinner, going for walks. Going to doctors appointments, going to school, visiting family.
Not scrolling through an app.
Think of how things were say 100 years ago when social media was no where in sight. Gosh, I don’t even know if cell phones were around LOL! They made it their whole lives without ever logging into Instagram, sending a snap, retweeting a tweet, or posting a TikTok, so that just shows it’s not a priority! 🙂
Just remember this sometimes. Don’t get too swept away by it. It’s not your life, it’s just a small thing in your life.
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Be you and do you
Want to hear something funny?
I haven’t posted on my personal Instagram in over a year. And it’s simply because I don’t want to.
I get too self conscious and nervous. Who will like my photo? Who will comment? Do I look good? Is it stupid to post this? So I stopped, and honestly, it’s made me a lot happier.
I still scroll through social media all the time. And I’m not saying that you need to do the same as I did. All I’m saying is to be you and do you. For me, that just so happens to mean not posting.
Remember, if you want social media to be a positive outlet for you, you have to make it a place where you’ll be happy. Even if that means going against the crowd.
Don’t feel pressure by social media to be any type of way. Don’t be pressured to join the trend, to post that photo, to like that post or to comment or to follow someone or whatever! Be you and do you. Seriously. It’s the best thing you can do for yourself.
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