There’s no denying that we all live in the social media age now. We are all granted glimpses into the lives of the people around us. We are able to share our lives with other people as well and as a result, we sometimes fall into comparison contests with others. And that can be very damaging to a person’s self-esteem.
Studies have already shown that social media plays a big role in feeding the insecurities and fears of some people especially when they are only exposed to the best parts of other peoples’ lives. And it’s not just with individual people either. It can happen to couples in relationships as well.
It’s because of social media that you are so exposed to the romantic lives of the people around you – more so than ever before. You see love and romance plastered all around your social media feed. You see pictures of other couples who are locked in kisses. You see pictures of other people in relationships who are out on lavish dates. You see a lot of these travel videos from your friends in relationships documenting their epic trips to far off places.
It’s like all of the couples on your social media feed have perfect unions – and you’re left to feel left out and insecure about the state of your own relationship. You start to wonder why your relationship doesn’t seem to be as perfect as those of your friends. But here’s something that you have to know about social media: you are only ever seeing the things that you’re meant to see.
The stuff that you see these other people post on social media is only the best and perfect parts of their lives. You never really get to see the bad parts of it. You don’t see the times that these other couples have arguments and disagreements. You don’t see them when they’re just being boring and lounging around at the house. Couples only ever typically reveal the happy parts of their relationships and they hide the less flattering aspects of it.
It’s normal that you would want to make comparisons between your own relationship and those of other peoples’. However, you should know that always comparing yourself to other people on social media can be very bad for your love life. It can generate some unnecessary pressure and tension in your own relationship. You may find yourself feeling consumed by all of the images of other couples on your social media. You start to wonder why you and your partner don’t go on such grand vacations and adventures the way that other couples do.
* Try to find comfort within your relationshipIf you are able to find comfort in your relationship, then you won’t really feel so insecure about the state of your romance. You will be less prone to feeling jealous and unsatisfied when you look at other couples.
* Avoid playing the blame game in your relationshipYou should really make it a point to not play the blame game in your relationship. You should always stay accountable and true to your own shortcomings as individuals – and work towards getting better.
* Keep it real when talking with your friendsWhen you talk about your relationship with your friends, then make sure that you keep things real. Don’t just be talking about the good stuff. Open up about the bad parts as well and encourage your friends to do the same.
* Turn your jealousy into real actionSee that your friend is out on an exciting trip with their partner in another country? Ask your partner if they would be willing to go on a trip with you as well. Just because other couples are having fun doesn’t mean that you can’t do the same.
* Take a break from browsing through your social media profilesJust take a break from social media altogether. Maybe the social media cleanse will actually be good for you.