Envy Destroys***
Author- Alisha Prien
This week I am reminded of Gratitude.
The last couple of weeks I fell into the trap/ cage of social media. Alot was on my plate, things felt more overwhelming than what they actually were, and from there my brain spiralled into the addiction of the fake world.
It’s so easy to fall into the cycle, reel after reel, scroll after scroll, filling your head with the perfection of others’ lives and 30 second reels of a life you could only dream of. It’s amazing really, like a drug we have constant access to for when we need a pick me up. We have this device at our hands that can numb and take away almost any feeling of stress and anxiety…. temporarily that is. It’s so easy to escape the difficulties of life and fall into the other world of perfection. Once you’re in however, it’s hard to get out of that world…
The more I delved into it, the more I began to compare, the more I began to feel unhappy with myself and my life. The expectation grew and I began to feel like I wanted more, like I wasn’t living life according to the social media standard of living.
It was on the week where my two youngest were unwell, Spencer was extra clingy and sooky, and my daughter decided to have a 24hr period of vomiting. The device seemed to look more and more appealing on this week. It began with just watching reels of beautiful sceneries and people going on holidays, to then scrolling, looking at friends and family and seeing all the highlights of their lives. I know it sounds silly, but it really starts to affect you the more you expose yourself. I began to have feelings of resentment, feelings of failure, and feelings, in all honesty of selfishness…
It wasn’t until my partner noticed my behaviour changing, and the impact it was having on our family that he pulled me up. We had a hard discussion, sometimes it’s the uncomfortable conversations that make you wake up and realise. I’m not perfect and I’m not proud of this addiction I have every time I struggle with real life difficulties, it’s a battle I deal with a lot.
What I do know is the only cure for this is, of course limit yourself to the exposure, but also, I find practicing gratitude each day makes a difference. If you pull back on the external feelings that social media creates and focus instead on the internal surroundings of what you already possess, you will regain happiness. Its easier said then done, and it takes a lot of practice. I know I definitely don’t feel great after scrolling for hours, in fact I feel 10 times worse. So why are we practicing something that doesn’t benefit us in any way? Why not go for a walk with the kids and leave the phone at home, turn your phone off for 2 hours and keep it out of your reach. Reduce the temptation. There is so much to be grateful for, like the kids we have, a family member still alive and healthy. Half the things you see, are exactly that “only half’. Majority of the time, those people posting aren’t as happy as they appear or as rich, they’ve just captured one moment in time. So why are we comparing? Why are we criticising our amazing lives and amazing partners, and beautiful kids for something that isn’t real? That isn’t even achievable?
Wake up and smell the roses, there are a lot of roses to smell, and the more you practice gratitude in your own backyard, the more roses will begin to blossom…
Be Grateful. Break the cycle. Envy destroys.