I used to be really grossed out by public Facebook displays of happiness or affection. People declaring their love for life or happiness within their relationship in my newsfeed. I wanted them to just keep it to themselves. I wanted them to send their partner a text, not tell their 487 friends and make us all suffer.
It seemed unnecessary to me, and it really brought up some uncomfortable feelings. The thing I didn’t realise at the time was that I wasn’t grossed out by them, my little green monster was rearing it's ugly head again.
Sometimes what we dislike in others, can just be our own self judgement being mirrored right back at us.
Then other times, seeing people gloating about their successes can make us envious for what we wish we had.
My insecurities were safely masked behind judgement. What I wanted and was seeing in others was shown in me as bitchiness. But at the time, it was my way of coping. What I wish I had known then was that it is ok to be jealous. It’s ok to envy what someone has, as long as you’re not mentally wishing it was taken from them.
Now, instead of using that envy as an excuse to shut down and see only the negatives in myself, I use it as motivation to push myself where I want to get to. Instead of branding someone as a show off, I celebrate their happiness with them and genuinely feel love for them and their achievements. Then, on that odd occasion when someone has something I want like a feeling, a goal achieved or a physical target reached, I use it as motivation to get me going. I now know that when envy comes up, it’s not because I dislike the person or how they’re acting, it’s because I would like to feel that way also.
There is nothing more amazing than to use social media to celebrate the joy of others and use that as inspiration to be living your best life!
So my wish for you this week is that you take any jealousy or envy, and channel that energy into really discovering what it is inside that you’re aching for. Turn judgement into self love and let it push you into becoming the best version of yourself you can be.
To assist you on this journey, I've created some Social Media Affirmations to help you use this wonderfully connected world to inspire and motivate, rather than spark envy within. Click below to get your affirmations.
