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The grass is always greener on Facebook, isn’t it? I mean, no one posts “Just polished off my second quart of Chunky Monkey after coming home drunk from another failed Match.com date”. Instead, we only post about the wonderful happenings in our life (and even then, we may embellish).
Oscar Ybarra, a psychologist at the University of Michigan writes that Facebook users get depressed when they see “all the wonderful things their friends are doing”.
Does this mean that you shouldn’t use Facebook? No, but if scanning the news feed makes you feel blue, take a step back and do three things:
- Remember that most people present a positive version of themselves, not the full spectrum of ups and downs that is the reality of everyone’s life (truth!).
- Remember that there’s no one in the world as unique as you are. Same goes for your friends, which makes you as beautiful as they are. Not more. Not less.
- Ask yourself what you're not doing when you're on Facebook, like having coffee with a friend, or plugging into nature. Facebook is best used to catch up on life’s details, and not as a substitute for love, laughter and friendship.
Comparing yourself to anyone else always leads to suffering. Thinking you’re better than others breeds arrogance, and thinking you’re worse breeds self-hatred. Instead, focus on building a sense of self that “is as solid and unmoving as Mount Fuji”!
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