People who frequent social networks a lot feel more starry than people who do not frequent them. The key factor is the social comparison to which they are. It seems that everyone’s life is much more interesting than yours. They all seem so in love and so happy …

In addition, people who spend time on their social networks consume a lot of time from their daily lives, something that causes them even more stress and makes their personal relationships less real. Another stressor is that people feel that their life is ‘not up to scratch’.

It’s nothing new

As if that were not enough, people seem to only post on social networks how well life is going for them and forget about the negative events that anyone can experience in their daily lives. Because the negative does not matter … or away. It is natural that we want to share our best moments with others, just as it is natural to avoid complaining too much to prevent others from walking away. However, this can lead to stress when people compare the exciting and happy events (high moments of their friends) that they see in their Facebook messages with their own stressors (the lowest moments of their own lives).

Social comparison is nothing new, it was not invented by social media. It has always existed. However, situations such as social networks put it in high relief. How can we enjoy the benefits of social media (bonding, humor, news sharing) but avoid the stressors that come with social media comparison? You can enjoy the use of social networks without having a bad time because of the social comparison.

Enjoy social media (REALLY)

Remember it’s not real

Although many people share their best moments on social networks and keep their worst moments, remember that what you see is not the reality of that person. Although I try to show the opposite, in reality it is like a way of lying or avoiding reality.

Talk to your friends

Talk to your friends and be a real person. You may not want to post your stuff on social media because you don’t want all your contacts to see it. But you can talk privately with your friends and share your life with them, in a more personal and direct way. If you have overly competitive friends who just want to share the good things in their lives, then look for friends who are just as authentic as you.

change of perspective

If you change your perspective, you change everything . This is very helpful for social media stress . Instead of seeing how beautiful it is in the photos, take a good look at what may be behind all those perfect images. You can also be inspired by what you see to improve those aspects of your life that you think you could improve, just in case you want to. Change your perspective and you will have the absolute power of your life.

Take a break

If you realize that social media takes more time from you than you would like it to, if you notice that there is too much falsehood or that talking to people you do not know or do not know stresses you too much … Just take a break. Stop giving so much importance to social networks and start giving it to what really matters: you and the people around you.

Use social media for inspiration, find information, or connect with other people from time to time, but don’t use it as a leveler for your mood or social status. Reduce the time you spend in front of social networks and your life will change, when you connect with your life again!