Dear future little one,

My social media is full of pictures of my friends traveling all over the world, meeting celebrities, crossing items off their bucket lists, going on picture-perfect vacations, and a whole bunch of fun things I’m NOT doing. When I go to church, I see all of these beautifully put-together families with practically no apparent flaws in sight. They look good, they sound good, and they seem perfect. And me? I’m over here drowning in stress, haven’t showered in four days, huge bags under my eyes, and MAYBE I did my hair this morning.

Maybe.

The Struggle

Growing up my mom always told me not to compare myself to others because there will always be someone more than you. More talented than you, prettier than you, and more on top of life than you. And she was right: comparisons just make you feel worse about yourself. But how in the world can I NOT compare myself when social media makes it so easy? Seeing my college friends exploring the Greek Islands, watching my church friends going on amazing humanitarian trips, and following my extended family as they vacation around the world is so hard! It brings to the forefront of my mind all the mundane, boring, normal things I’m doing with my life. Like how I cut myself on my toothpaste lid yesterday morning or how I haven’t done the laundry in almost a month. And how I got passed over for a work promotion I worked really hard for.

I compare the worst parts of my life with the best parts of theirs. And that’s not fair to either of us.People generally only post good, happy, picturesque things onto their Facebook and Instagram (unless they’re calling for prayers on their or a loved one’s behalf). People don’t scroll through Facebook looking to see how messy your house is or how stressed you are because you have five thousand things calling for your attention all at once.

We Need to be More Real.

But what if we did? What if we started posting about how hectic and stressful and hard our lives really are? We could normalize how crazy and real life is. We could start finding the strength and compassion and camaraderie we so desperately crave rather than the comparisons and self-recriminations that happen far too often.

So stop scrolling. Well don’t stop completely, but stop scrolling though Instagram seeing all the things everyone else is doing that you aren’t. Start seeing the people behind those posts with difficult, stressful lives who are highlighting a happy moment. Stop comparing your worst moments to their best. Start believing that your life is just as beautiful and wonderful as anyone else’s.

Love Always,

Sara