REAL TALK TUESDAY: Good for her… Not for Me

Real Talk Talk Tuesday: A day we’re getting real and just putting it all out there in the open. 

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We’re taking a break from the food today because I’m feeling called to just put some thoughts out there into the world wide wide for any and all to read. I thought it’d be fun to start a new series because I have a LOT of thoughts coming and I want to be real with you.

I often share this stuff on Instagram but I don’t get around to sharing it on the blog and I felt that needed to change. While Instagram is great and can sometimes create a bigger sense of community, this blog is my home base. Fit Mitten Kitchen – the blog – is where it all began and I want this type of real life content to have a home on the blog too.

Real Talk Tuesday

So the first topic in “Real Talk Tuesday” falls under the category of the comparison trap.

As much as I try to focus on creating my own content for you all, I too get sucked into the social media reels and the never-ending Instagram rabbit holes. I watch, I laugh, I sometimes cry, and I often get curious as to what’s *really* happening behind the scenes screen.

As I consume other peoples’ content, I have to remind myself every once in a while…

Good for her… Not for me.

This is a saying from Amy Poehler but when I heard it, I thought “That is perfect. Absolutely perfect.”

It takes the pressure off. It ends the comparison. The guilt often associated with not being like someone else. With not having what someone else has. With not traveling where someone else is going.

As I scroll through my Instagram feed looking at pictures, reading captions, watching stories, etc. I realize there’s so much information being put out there and it’s only a very, very small piece of the picture. But I am not sure everyone else realizes that…

Everyone is different. I still struggle sometimes while watching what others are putting out there, without judgment. Not judgement in a negative way, but judgement in a concerned or curious way. Because I watch other people‘s stories (typically those with a large influence) sharing how often they’re are going to their exercise classes, day after day. Never once mentioning taking breaks, and making a point to share on how many days in a row they made it the gym, even though they were so tired. On one hand it can seem motivating, but on the other it can also be concerning – just because I’ve been on each end of the spectrum and can recognize the obsession, even though it’s disguised by what most would see as a “healthy habit”…

And all I can hope for them is that their wellness routines are coming from a place of love. And not from the place of obsession and perfectionism and competition with oneself (and/or others).

And that is also where I stop myself and I say, “Good for her… but not for me.”

Be a Conscious Consumer

Sometimes I get worried that I too can easily contribute to the chaos of feeding into peoples’ deeper issues. But at the same time as consumers of this content on social media we have to be aware. Awareness is the key to recognizing our own underlying issues. You have to be self-aware and you have to consume the content on social media with what an open mind, and to know that that’s THEIR life they are living.

Let people inspire, but don’t ever let someone else dictate how you feel. You do have the power to change your thoughts which will then allow you to change how you feel. <– more on Brooke Castillo and that notion coming up in a later “Real Talk Tuesday” chat soon.

I just really felt the need to put it all this out there so you can come back to these chats and know that you are doing just fine.

And if you’re starting to feel down about anything because of what you’ve seen on social media, I highly encourage you to take a break. Put the phone down, spend time with friends and family and just live without your phone for a while. It will show you what you truly have to be grateful for and give you another perspective.

Good for her not for me.

Real Talk Tuesday Question: Do you struggle with getting caught up in social media and start questioning yourself? How do you handle social media and knowing when you could use a break?