We’ve all heard it before: “be careful who you hang out with because you might end up going down the wrong path!”
I definitely remember my mom telling me something along these lines when I was younger, more than once.
Well, guess what? I’m all grown up now, and I don’t have to worry about who I hang out with anymore, right? As adults, we know how to keep our circles tight, and only associate with close friends and family. Most of us do, anyway!
But what about the other things we choose to hang out with?
“What are you talking about Katherine? I literally only hang out with the handful of friends I grew up with.”
Yeah, I hear ya. Me too! But I’m talking about what you watch, read, see, or who you follow.
Let’s talk about Social Media for a second, more specifically, Instagram.
Do you know who you follow? What kinds of accounts do you tend to drift towards? What kind of feelings or emotions do these posts bring you? Do they make you happy, and inspired? Or do they make you upset, and self-conscious?
I remember when I first started getting into fitness years ago, and Instagram was still fairly new for me. I started following “fitness” accounts, which were pretty much women who were in their tiny swimsuits and “athletic gear” (or so they called it) because I thought that was inspirational at the time. Their bodies were what I aspired to have one day. But what I didn’t realize, was that this wasn’t inspiring me; it was hindering me. Every time I would get on Instagram, a new flawless picture would pop up. Instead of being motivated by that, it was actually lowering my self-esteem. It would make me think that I could never be like that. I would look at their picture and then look in the mirror in comparison. It made me see only my imperfections, and man did I think I had a bunch of those.
Don’t get me wrong, it is okay to follow accounts that inspire you to be healthy and to reach certain fitness goals. But you need to realize that there is a very thin line between inspiration and comparison. Once those inspirational posts start producing negative feelings about yourself, you need to stop and reevaluate. My favorite way to reevaluate is doing a social media cleanse.
I recently did a Social Media Cleanse, and it was the best thing I have done for myself in a long time. Go through the accounts your following, and 1 by 1 ask yourself if what this person post brings you inspiration or comparison? If the answer is an inspiration, let the follow continue; but if the answer is a comparison, then unfollow immediately!
There might be a little hesitation when doing this because sometimes they post great things and other times not so great. Unfollow anyway. If weeks pass by and you’re missing their little pieces of inspiration, then you can refollow.
By doing this, we are creating a better environment for ourselves. An environment that is full of positivity, inspiration, and free from negativity and comparison! There are so many wonderful women out there who have accounts that are both inspirational and authentic! It took me a while to find them, but once you find one, the algorithm is set up to helping you find them all!
Surround yourself, both physically and virtually, with healthy relationships that create healthy thoughts.
www.KEGFitness.com
