When Social Media Makes You Forget What's Good
Hi girls.
I've been thinking a lot about social media lately.
Which is funny because some of my favorite things in life came from the internet. I've discovered brands I love, creators who have inspired me for years, and even my current church because of it. I met my husband because of the internet, which still feels a little crazy when I stop and think about it. There are so many things I love about being online.
But lately it's also been making me think about comparison.
I've been spending a lot of time writing, taking photos, and working on this blog. After talking about it for years, I'm finally showing up and creating consistently, and for the most part it's been really exciting. I love having a reason to bring my notebook to a coffee shop. I love dreaming about what Her Sunday Best could become. I love creating things that feel meaningful to me.
At the same time, I've noticed how quickly I can go from feeling excited about my own life to questioning everything. One minute I'm working on a blog post and feeling proud of it. The next, I'm scrolling Instagram and wondering whether any of it is good enough. Maybe my writing isn't strong. Maybe my photos aren't beautiful. Maybe everyone else is more creative. Maybe they've figured something out that I haven't.
The strangest part is that I can be genuinely happy for someone and still find myself comparing. I can love what they're creating, celebrate their success, and be inspired by their story while also wondering why my own journey feels slower. The older I get, the more I realize comparison isn't always necessarily rooted in jealousy. Sometimes it comes from insecurity. Sometimes its fear. Sometimes it simply comes from forgetting what's already good in your own life.
I've also noticed that comparison looks different now than it did when I was younger. Back then, I mostly wanted what other people had. Their clothes, their relationships, their apartments, their lives. Now it feels a little deeper than that.
Sometimes I catch myself comparing things that aren't even tangible anymore. The confidence someone seems to have, the certainty they feel about themselves, the community they've built, the opportunities that seem to find them. It's funny because none of those things can really be measured, and yet they're often the things I find myself envying most.
And when I really think about it, I'm usually comparing my entire life to a tiny glimpse of someone else's. I don't know what they're struggling with, what prayers they're praying, or how many years of hard work came before the moment I'm seeing on my screen. All I see is a small piece of the story, and somehow my brain wants to use it as evidence that I'm behind in life.
Lately I've been realizing that the days I spend the most time comparing are usually the days I'm consuming more than I'm creating,
When I step away from my phone and look at my actual life, there's so much to be grateful for.
I have a husband I adore, slow mornings with my favorite coffee, friends I love, and dreams that still make me excited when I think about them. I get to spend afternoons writing in coffee shops and building something I've wanted to create for years. Most importantly, I have a God who has been faithful to me through every season of my life, including the seasons where I couldn't see where any of this was going.
When I really stop and think about it, there's so much beauty right here in my own life. Life being good doesn’t mean everything needs to be perfect. We don’t have to wait to love our lives until everything is perfect or wait until we accomplish every goal we’ve ever had. We should love our life because its ours. I love my life because it’s the life God gave me.
The older I get, the more I'm realizing that confidence comes from being rooted in your own life. From knowing who you are. From paying attention to what God has placed in your hands instead of constantly looking over your shoulder at what He has given someone else.
Lately I've been trying to spend less time wondering whether my story measures up to social standards and more time appreciating the fact that I even have one. Because the truth is, some of the things I prayed for years ago are now part of my everyday life. The husband. The apartment. The slow mornings. The freedom to dream again. It's so easy to overlook those things when you're focused on what comes next, but they're still gifts.
And the more time I spend living my own life instead of watching everyone else's, the more I realize I don't want anyone else's story.
I want mine.
So if you've been feeling discouraged lately, or wondering whether you're behind, I just want to remind you that there is so much beauty in your story.
And that has nothing to do with goals or perfection or the way it looks on the outside.
There is beauty in your story because it's yours, and because God is still writing it.
Focus more on the things you are grateful for. <3
