The Pressures of Social Media and How To Overcome Them

I love beauty products. That’s a given. But lately (particularly in these last few months) I’m seeing a hole in the world of social media that I am strongly feeling the urge to fill. It is a hole filled with reassurance and perhaps a helping hand to those (young and old) that may be feeling life a bit harder than others. Life is beautiful and tough and messy and incredible! So trust me when I say, you’re not alone!

Social media is an incredible thing! It allows us to connect with friends, family and people from all over the world! It is actually quite remarkable to think how far we’ve come with technology over the years. But with all of the incredible qualities social media possesses, we’ve also seen it’s negative side effects. Here we are, in 2018, with these incredibly advanced apps that allow us to visually express our passions, interests and day to day lives yet we’re seeing more and more individuals suffer from anxiety and even depression. These apps are opening doors for millions of individuals and businesses but also putting an immense amount of pressure on people (particularly the younger generation) to obtain an “Insta worthy” life. Which brings me to my next question, “what is an Insta worthy life?”

The “Instagram worthy” lifestyle shots that we see on “the gram” usually (but certainly not always) consist of an airbrushed female with a thigh gap (real or photoshopped) going about her day to day life while perfectly capturing each moment. Before I go any further, let me throw out a little disclaimer and say that obviously not ALL Instagrammers fit into this category. And even if one does fit into this category, I am by no means shaming him or her (their photos are insanely aesthetically pleasing!) I am simply stating the facts of what we typically see from a lifestyle Instagrammer so that we can understand why this is potentially harming the minds of millions of social media users.

I have felt myself fall into a slump several times while browsing social media. Here I am in Australia, away from my friends and family, confused as all hell as to what my life’s “purpose” is as I’m being bombarded with photos of gorgeous individuals wake boarding into the sunset in Bali or having the fanciest champagne brunch with a huge group of friends. Now, my “healthy Carrie” mindset would think “oh how gorgeous is that sunset?” or perhaps “I wonder what kind of Champagne they’re drinking?!” : ) Innocent enough, right? But then, I think about what my “unhealthy Carrie” mindset, when my mind is playing tricks on me and constantly telling me that I need to be doing more or losing weight, would think. Perhaps she would think “Wow. If only I could be traveling right now and be so comfortable in my skin to wear a bikini on camera,” or perhaps “Gee, I wish I had that many friends. I wish I could have fun plans like that on a Sunday afternoon.” Get the idea?

Strangely enough, I’ve already experienced being envied (again, particularly by younger girls) as a “beauty blogger” on social media. I’ve received several direct messages from girls saying “I wish I could be like you and have all of those beauty products,” or “my goal is to work towards having a collection like yours,” and the saddest read “I hope that one day I can have all of those products too. You must be so happy.”

Ugh. My heart literally breaks when I receive messages like those and I always kindly respond with a short message basically saying “girl! You are amazing and you do not need ANY of these things to prove that.” And then, of course, I start questioning why I’m doing what I’m doing on social media and how is it making me feel? I think it’s important to always go back to the “why” when trying to achieve anything in life, whether it be business or personal related. But in reality, posting on Instagram is extremely fulfilling for me! I love reading everyone’s comments and connecting with them. I love sharing my love for beauty and life and talking about products and new releases. And I love seeing my fellow bloggers receive love as well! It always makes me happy when I see a blogger receive a lovely package from a brand or see someone sharing a life event on their feed. It’s like a supportive little community and I certainly don’t deny that I enjoy it very much!

But going back to this idea of the “Insta worthy life.” We, as humans, are such visual creatures. It’s why we take pride in our appearance, why we feel the need to write out “to do” lists and why we enjoy aimlessly scrolling through Pinterest or our Instagram feeds. Pretty pictures can be inspiring and fun to look at but it’s when envy replaces enjoyment that we have an issue. So, how do we keep ourselves positive, uplifted but also realistic? Well, I think we should first take a look at what types of accounts we are following. Are we following accounts with uplifting content or are we following Kim Kardashian who (within the last 72 hours) decided to partner with a brand to promote appetite suppressing lollipops?

I love seeing all of the beautiful travel accounts dedicated to showcasing gorgeous travel photos but the second I feel myself feeling more envy than appreciation for the work, I unfollow. Simple as that. It is not that the person did anything wrong at all, it is simply that my soul was no longer being fed healthily from that account. This is also why I avoid watching the news. Though I appreciate being up to date with my world, the news does not feed my soul positivity so I avoid it.

One last aspect of social media that I feel the need to touch upon is the amount of bullying that I see take place on a daily basis. I don’t know what it is about the beauty industry in particular, but trolls just LOVE to unleash their mean and hateful comments on anyone and everyone involved in the beauty community. I won’t go into detail about the comments that I’ve seen because those individuals don’t deserve to be quoted on my blog but man, if only their mothers could see what they are writing. I’m certainly not just referring to the beauty community with this topic. I try not to watch those depressing interview shows at night but I can’t help but notice the growing amount of stories revolving around young people taking their own lives due to internet bullying. It is shocking, heartbreaking and at the same time, I feel a growing responsibility to help in any way that I can to raise awareness or even just be a tiny little outlet to bring a bit of joy.

What I hope you can take away from my post is this. Continue embracing the incredible technological advances in the world, such as Instagram and Facebook, but just check in with yourself once in awhile. If you need to do a little cleanse and rid your eyes of the accounts that no longer suit you, then go for it! Only fill your eyes and your soul with people, experiences and things that make you feel fantastic! Lets all enjoy these apps and internet outlets but not let ourselves get too caught up in a fantasy world. I absolutely love social media and am incredibly grateful that my Instagram and blog have given me a platform to use my voice and to connect with people from all over the world. Just always remember that (for the most part) people only post what they want you to see. They post the best parts of their day and not the messy coffee stained shirt, pimple on the forehead I just had a fight with my boyfriend part. Your life is a gift and never let someone else’s social media portrayal of his or her life make yours feel inferior. Your Saturday night on the couch with Netflix and a pizza is actually pretty amazing. Your vacation spent exploring, relaxing and enjoying time with loved ones is far more important than getting the perfect Instagram shot. And your curvy, bumpy, blemished, freckled body is actually quite beautiful.

Sometimes, the smallest things in life are actually the grandest. However big or small your moments in life may be, accept them and appreciate them for what they truly are-raw, unfiltered and real.

I am sending you so much love and light and always remember that you are MORE than enough!

Love, Carrie xo