The exhaustion of living for others
Kids today are surrounded by photos and stories of other people’s lives. They see the smiles, the parties, the adventures, and the successes of their classmates and friends. It can seem as if the rest of the world is living a perfect life. Very rarely do you see or hear about the less positive experiences: sitting alone on a Friday night, missing the winning shot at the game, getting into an argument with a friend or family member.
The disparity between what kids (or adults) experience in their own lives and what they see on social media can cause them to feel depressed, lonely, insecure, and anxious. It can also be exhausting for the people posting who agonize over taking the perfect picture, and obsess over how many likes or comments they receive.
It seems many people are documenting their lives for the sake of others, with their own benefit taking a distant second. While it can be wonderful to see what our friends and family members are up to, it does not always represent reality. Recently, I saw an acquaintance trying to get a picture of her four children. It seemed as though one child was always looking off into the distance, another one may have been angry at a sibling, one was crying and the mom was getting very frustrated. After yelling to them that they would not go bowling that day if they didn’t smile, she finally got a wonderful picture which she immediately posted online. The hashtags chosen to go along with the picture: #relaxingweekend #bestfriends.
In my humble opinion, people could be happier and more secure if they put down their devices and worried less about what others were doing. Explore, try new things, seek knowledge, discover what makes you happy, and surround yourself with people who don’t require you to be a version of yourself that makes you anxious and exhausted. Limiting screen time for a teen may seem like an impossible task, but they are capable of it and the longer they practice, the better they get at not needing to check so often.
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