Dealing with social media envy

Has it happened to you? All your friends are having fun, attending fabulous parties, traveling to exotic places, getting promotions or having lots of new exciting things happening in their lives, …posting lots of great pictures on their Instagram and Facebook... and here you are trapped at home (or a dead end job), looking for a job and dealing with rejections, the flooring in your house hasn’t been installed for 3 weeks now, the back of your car is damaged,…or any other  crappy thing happening to you… and you feel totally down and envious… oh so envious after seeing all those wonderful photos of your friends. So what can you do to feel better? Here is how I am dealing with a major case of social media (SM) envy:

-Be grateful: just a couple of months ago, I couldn’t wait to get back to my house and to my quiet boring life. I wanted peace and stability… So now that I have it, I should be grateful and not spoil it with boredom and envy.

- Remember the past: I have had fabulous time and great adventures when these friends were working hard or were in crappy situations. Now it’s their turn. Mine would come again soon enough.

-Take great pictures: a beautifully presented meal, a gorgeous piece of dessert, a romantic sunset, pretty flowers, cute pets, something fun in my day to day life. When I look for a beautiful moment to capture in a photograph, I will notice how many of those exist in my daily boring life and I usually don’t notice them. I have challenged myself to find and snap a pretty picture every day.

-Plan mini adventures (while waiting for the big one): there are new neighborhoods, cafes, parks and museums in this city of ours that I haven’t been to or I’ve liked and love to visit again. My major reason for SM envy is my craving for newness and excitement. By trying a new food, new recipe, new cuisine, going somewhere new, finding or seeing something new (a landmark, a fabric, a work of art) I feel energized and happy. I also like to start a new project, crafting something, drawing or writing and by focusing on that project I feel instantly better. By eating some never-tried-before street food, I feel daring and brave. Going hiking and getting my blood pumping makes me feel alive. I can find a performance I like to see and attend it. Dressing up for a concert or play would be fun. Yes, there are so many things I can do right here, right now that make me feel alive and excited.

-Plan your big adventure: Right now I can’t travel to the exotic places that my friends do (well, I can’t travel anywhere right now. I’m stuck at home!). No Morocco, South America or Japan in my near future. But while I wait, I am reading everything I can on Japan and planning my dream trip. I know which cities I would like to visit, what food I better eat and can find great places to stay. So when the time comes, I am ready! Along those lines, I better start learning a few Japanese words as well. The only one I know is: Sayonara!