The first thing we do in the morning is often to reach for our phone. You open Instagram and start browsing stories. Someone is having an expensive dinner, another is on vacation, a third seems incredibly happy with their significant other. And without realizing it, you start comparing your own life to theirs. You wonder why you're not there, why you don't earn as much, why it seems like so many good things don't happen to you.
But do we really think about what's really behind these photos? An expensive dinner could have ended in a scandal. A smile can hide sadness, and the person who looks like he has everything can feel completely alone. We see a few seconds of their life and invent the rest ourselves.
On social media, we show the best of ourselves. We choose the photos in which we look good, share the interesting experiences and skip the boring days. Yes, lately people have been talking more often about their difficulties, showing tears and admitting that they are not well, but this is only part of the story. We do not know how they spend their days, what worries them and what happens when the phone is put aside.
And yet sometimes we think that we know someone just because we have been following their profile for years. We know where they go, how they dress and who they hang out with, but this does not mean that we know the real person. We may have looked at hundreds of their photos and still have no idea what their life is like in reality.
The problem is that we start to accept what we see as the norm. Other people's successes make us feel like we're falling behind, that we're not doing enough, and that we need to achieve something more to be happy. Today we want a new job, tomorrow a higher salary, then a trip, a nicer home, or some other life that we've seen on screen. And yet something is still missing.
And sometimes we forget to be happy with what we already have. Our home, the people who love us, dinners with friends, quiet days when nothing special happens. All ordinary things that would rarely get hundreds of likes, but are actually a big part of our lives.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with wanting more. It's normal to have ambitions, to dream, and to strive for something better. But there's a difference between wanting to improve and constantly feeling inadequate because someone else seems to be living a better life than you.
Especially since we see everything on our phones - from terrible tragedies and human suffering to luxurious vacations and perfect outfits. In just a few minutes, we can read about someone's loss, and then come across a video of a glamorous event. And while we look at other people's lives, we sometimes forget how much we take for granted in our own.
We can't know why some people have more opportunities, while others go through difficult trials. Life is not fair to everyone, and we can't find the answer to every question. But we can at least not let social networks determine whether we are successful, beautiful or happy enough.
Maybe sometimes we just need to close the app and ask ourselves if we really want everything we see, or if we have started to want it because it is constantly in front of our eyes. Do we really dream of this life, or have we just convinced ourselves that we should have it?
Because the truth is, we don't know what's going on behind other people's photos. We don't know what problems the person we envy is having, or whether they themselves aren't looking at someone else's profile and thinking that their life is worse.
So let's not be so quick to call our own lives boring just because they don't look like someone else's story. Every day doesn't have to be special, every night exciting, and every achievement needs to be shown to the world.
Sometimes the best thing is just to be home, have someone to talk to, and know that the people you love are okay.
Maybe we're not as far behind as we think. Maybe we're just too busy looking at other people's lives to notice our own.