Social media perfection

It's so easy to get wrapped up in the world of social media, to feel like you're failing because somebody else seems to be doing it better, to see those seconds-long snippets on the screen and believe they're a real reflection on a person's life, seeing snapshots of memories and moments that are fleeting. 

What you don't see behind some of those videos and images is the set up. You don't see that for 40 minutes of that one-hour long park trip, children might be stood in one spot working to get the perfect image in a perfect light with the perfect background, being forced to fake smiles for likes. You don't see the ring lights being used to amplify a person's look, or the filters being used to change it completely. You don't see the hours of editing in software before posting to make sure that it's nothing less than perfection. 

It's so easy to focus on what you're seeing right in front of you that you lose sight of the reality of it, in that most of the time it isn't reality at all. 

Where it's made to look authentic, despite being scheduled and scripted more than any TV drama or Hollywood film... people competing for the next best thing, wanting to do better than the person before them. You think you see someone succeeding and want a piece of that yourself when they might actually be crying themselves to sleep at night, totally unhappy with their life. 

And those snippets show literal seconds of a person's life, even when it IS real it's rarely a reflection of the full day. 

As someone with a substantial social media following, I think it's really important for me to be transparent, to post an honest view of our lives and to not portray life as perfect. We have amazing days, good days, bad days, and it's good to share it all in a world where we connect more digitally than we do in person, so people who are sat watching feel less alone and see that others in the world are living life just like they are... muddling through, day to day, finding the cheapest alternative. 

It would have been so easy for me the other day to go onto Instagram after my day out with Alfie and tell the world how lovely and beautiful it was. It was, but to share that it stayed that way all day would have been a lie, so I told the truth of it instead! We had a lovely morning, driving down to the park for a free activity (excluding the £2.50 for ice creams), spending time playing and enjoying our snacks and drinks we packed to take with us. I thought, seeing as we were having such a nice time, that we'd head to the beach afterwards and that we did... 

Alfie + sand and being a little inconsiderate with said sand meant that the fun for the day was left back at the park 🤣

It would have been easy for me to hop onto socials and completely miss that part of our day out, but thought do you know what, people need to see that were real people living a real life and we are. It also creates a little bit of solidarity with other parents sat at home crying on the sofa whilst scrolling because their day didn't go perfectly like those they see in the squares. 

I'm guilty of it myself guys, I really am. I sometimes sit there scrolling in an evening and feel a pang of jealousy that someone else has managed to do something we could only dream of right now, or see those holiday pics by the pool and wish we were doing the same, but then I pull myself back down to earth and remember that pressure is relenting having constant access to other people's lives, and causes unnecessary stress AND unnecessary debt! I'm not going to put myself into debt for a holiday I can't afford right now, when I can find budget things to do right where we are. 

This past week, Alfie and I will be doing some rock painting. The paints cost pennies and the rocks were free, and I'm just as excited to do that with him and have that quality time as I would be going for a stroll on the beach in a country across the planet. 

What plans do you have for this summer that sit in your budget? Are you enjoying some cosy film days? Are you packing picnics instead of eating dinner out? We have to do what we are able to do for ourselves and for our families, and believe me when I tell you that it's enough.