In the world of social media, it is easy to forget about our mental health. The thing is, even though we know that social media is toxic to our lives, we keep clinging to them. At this point, it is even unimaginable to live without Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
My mood has been swinging up and down lately. I saw people who are more successful with their projects, my friends at the same age has became a manager, my other friend has begun to buy a house, dozens of my high school friends got married already, and I just feel kind of.. stuck. Add that with hundreds of wonderful photos in Instagram where people seem to have fun in their lives without having to worry about money or house installment, sometimes I just want to bury myself in bed all day.
Well, the thing is, this is the age where we’re supposed to shine. This is it. Being twenties is our moment before the next generation takes turn. And listening to other successful stories, i was kind of jealous. All I thought was, “Am I making the right decision by doing what I do? Should I move elsewhere? Should I start house installment, too?”
And as an adult – you don’t get to ask that kind of question. Life wants you to find the answers on your own. And it could be VERY frustrating sometimes. That’s why I say that we should take care of our mental health before we ruin it by accident.
Let me put it this way:
I am content. I love what I do.
I love my job and I love the routines that I’ve been doing.
But, when faced with the fact that others have even more successful lives than me, that’s where all of my confidence disappears. I start to doubt myself, telling me that I’ve been wasting time by watching TV series or going to Spanish class. I should be building the next big thing or starting a hit business soon. I should be ashamed that I never even thought of getting married in the next five years.
I blamed myself and I am no longer happy.
I am punishing myself.
Then I walked home and I remembered a saying from the book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck. It says, most of your life moments will not be noteworthy – and that’s okay. I thought to myself: you might not be the best, the most beautiful, the richest, or the most successful – and that’s okay. Instagram wants you to be size 4, eat brunches every weekend, have a peer of friends with the same fabulous lives as you, or be able to travel to new country every goddamn month. But you don’t have to do that.
Your mental health should be your number one priority. It is important because unlike the physical health, doctors could not really heal it if your mental health worsen. There are motivators to build your spirit back up, but only YOU could believe in yourself, fix your mood, and suck it all up. Get back out there and try again. Stop comparing yourself with other people – that’s the hardest task I’ve found.
Mental health is a very tricky thing to deal with. You don’t get any symptoms, you cannot really see the gradual changes. But you have to make sure that you have a healthy mindset to begin the days with. That being said, feel free to do anything you want to maintain your mental health. I know some of the things that ruin my mood and I get rid of it immediately. I block toxic people from my Instagram, even some well-known Instagram influencers. I need to adjust my surrounding condition to bring out the best mindset I have. I just don’t want to be trapped in low self-esteem cycle that makes me anxious and down all the time. I no longer want to punish myself.
At the end of the day, I guess I could say that I am happy.
Despite not having a huge salary, marriage, kids, or a house on my own.
Life is competition.
Not with others, but with yourself.
So be kind 🙂
