In today’s world riddled with social media and countless opportunities for constant comparison, it can be easy to get caught up in someone else’s seemingly “perfect” life. They have flawless skin, a model-like body, a gorgeous smile; all traits that we fail to recognize when we look in the mirror. While they’re going on endless vacations around the world with their extremely attractive significant other, we’re following along with them from the far too familiar comfort of the couch wondering how on earth they make enough money to travel like that. Money – there’s never enough, yet somehow everyone with an Instagram account and a few thousand followers seems to have the newest car, the biggest house, and the nicest clothes.
Having an inside look into someone’s glamorous life quite literally at the tip of our fingers can be very discouraging. All it takes is opening Instagram and scrolling for a few minutes. We get into the mindset that because these people get way more likes on their posts than we do, that everyone just must like them better, and because they have way more followers, then they must have a lot more friends than we ever could. Thinking like this has led to a mental health epidemic; depression and anxiety, especially within younger age groups, has sky-rocketed in recent years due to the digital age in which we live. However, what most of us fail to realize is that what we’re seeing isn’t real. It’s fake lives of sometimes fake people, covered in filters and photoshopped to the point of no return. You’re not seeing that person, but rather their ideal version of him or herself because chances are they too wish they looked different and lived a more “perfect” life.
It’s important to know that you are not alone. You are loved, and you are you, and there is no one you should wish you were besides yourself. There is no one else on this planet who is like you, who shares the unique fingerprint that you make on the world. You do not need to conform to society’s standards or to those of anyone else. It doesn’t matter where you’re from, what size you are, or who you love, because there is no definition of “perfect” that you must live up to. You do not need to pretend to be someone you’re not; the more unique, the better. It seems like everybody is trying to fit themselves into a box, and in doing so, have lost what makes us all special. Appearances aren’t anything in the grand scheme of things; looks fade, and as corny as it sounds, it’s what’s inside that counts. Forget what everyone else is doing and focus on making yourself the best “you” you can be. A healthy mind and a full heart are the building blocks to a happy future. And remember, as Steven Furtick said, “Don’t compare your behind the scenes with somebody else’s highlight reel.”