The Truth About Social Media And It's Relationship With Body Image

Okay, before I start, you should know that I LOVE Instagram. I will unashamedly scroll for hours upon hours on the social media site, stalking my cousin's boyfriend's sister's cat. It happens.

But Instagram has a wicked way of making people feel absolutely terrible about themselves. One look at the Explore page and there is picture after picture of these seemingly perfect girls with perfect bodies in their perfect swimsuits with their perfect friends. And it leaves you wondering, "what am I doing wrong that I don't have this perfect life?"

Except "this life" that you see is so NOT perfect. In reality, it most likely isn't even real.

Pro-tip: Do NOT compare your life to the ones you see on social media.

.....

People say it takes 21 days to break a habit, so I deleted my Instagram account for three weeks, and this is what I discovered:

1. Instagram is a highlight reel.

People glamorize their lives to give off the impression that they are always happy and having fun while you sit alone in your bed on a Saturday night watching ANOTHER episode of Friends. Everyone does it. I do it, you do it. Do you have the no-makeup, in-bed-eating-ice-cream selfies that give accurate pictures of your life?

Or are you REALLY always on the beach (with a tan from the Airbrushed app) or taking cute pumpkin patch pictures with your boyfriend? In a not-so-shocking reality, the answer is no. And neither are the people who are making you feel inferior.

2. Instagram is repetitive.

That same gym selfie, that same bikini picture, those people who only post with the same people. IT ALL LOOKS THE SAME. That's because society has ingrained in our minds what we are supposed to look like or do in order to "fit in." And that is not okay.

3. I was more productive.

I found myself not only being able to, but WANTING to exercise more, write more, and spend more time investing in relationships that had been shaded by an iPhone screen. Taking this time for myself helped me focus on what was actually important.

4. But most importantly, I felt better about myself.

I wasn't concerned about the likes or comments when there was no avenue to get them. I was focused on bettering myself instead of looking at the things that made me feel my worst. The primary reason I did this fasting was because my self-confidence was at an all-time low. And it happens to ALL of us.

Your worth is not dependent upon your social media accounts. Do not get your value from the number of likes or comments that your bikini pic received. You are worth so much more than how you feel when you get a flirty like from some stupid boy (PSA: He didn't like the picture because of your amazing personality).

So, 21 days may have not been enough to completely break my obsession with scrolling and scrolling, but it definitely did bring to light two VERY important things: 1. People make their lives look way better than they are, and 2. We cannot let our self-confidence be decided by pictures of other people.

You are worth so much more than what is on a screen. You are worth so much more than others' opinions about you. You are you and that you are absolutely BEAUTIFUL.