How revealing is your social media?

Being vulnerable is not one of my personal challenges. It is not hard for me to be raw and real about what I’ve gone through in life. In fact, you probably shouldn’t ask me anything you’re not ready for an answer to because I have no filter. I am as open of a book as they come. Flip to any page, at any time, and you will get the truth. My brand is authenticity. My mission is to relate to everyone in some way. Provide hope for those still healing from struggles I once faced. Offer inspiration to those stuck in similar situations I have personally crawled out of. But most importantly, to stand on the same platform as my readers. I am just a normal woman. I’ve lived through many ups and downs. I am not more capable than anyone else to achieve the mental milestones I have achieved and I am never done. Accomplishing and maintaining a healthy and fulfilling life is something I work towards everyday, and it’s what I love to do. 


While I may have no problem sharing my flaws, my struggles, my pain and my setbacks, I often forget to air out that laundry. My Instagram gets carried away with the beauty I’m searching for. Because my mind is more focused on the color and the light these days, explorations, sunsets, hikes with my dog or finding the next best fried chicken sandwich is naturally what I think about posting. Chronic pain, grief, delving into my past is not as aesthetically pleasing. The captured moments of my daily facial ice packs or teary eyes from pain radiating through my face and neck just isn’t something I think about as a new Instagram post. But the most important part of my Instagram, to me, is not representing a fake summary of my life. I refuse to use my platform to only show off the good. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this world has become too focused on perfection as a goal. Social media has created false realities of what living means and  unnecessary devastation in its wake. Expecting perfection will only set you up for failure. Perfection is impossible. The enemy of fulfillment. We must remind ourselves the people behind these social media accounts are humans. They experience loss, heartbreak, embarrassment, guilt, frustration, anger, and all the same emotions we face. Just because we don’t see it as a square between their touched up smiles, extravagant parties and luxurious travels doesn’t mean it’s not part of their real life feed. 


While the entire purpose of my social media accounts is to provide the real and the raw along with the pretty, even I get carried away with the pretty. Of course we’d rather see what’s pleasing to the eye, but it is vital we stay tuned with what’s pleasing to our heart. We must not lead ourselves on. We can never compare our lives to someone’s social media account. Be grateful for what you have and humbled by what you’re burdened with. Be kind to others, you never know what someone else is going through. But most importantly, be kind to yourself. You are not behind or less than anyone else. Your life isn’t less valuable because your “content” doesn’t look as done up in a box. You have qualities others crave and we’re all in need of self improvement. We all continue to progress and grow, if we’re doing it right. While you have every right in the world to use your own social media as an outlet for all things good, don’t forget others are doing the same. In my opinion, working towards your best self, accepting and including all of what that journey means, is the most important social media message of all. Life isn’t always butterflies and rainbows, even if social media is.