Social media allows you to be whoever you want to be. What about who you really are?

Think about the last Instagram post on your account.

Is it a casual post? Is it a photo of some magnificent scenery? Was it an elaborate photoshoot? Were every reflection of light, hand placement, and shadow deliberate?

If so, you may be using social media to alter the way you are perceived. Now, this is nothing to be concerned about or embarrassed about. In this day and age, that is what most people are doing. Most people have developed some kind of social media alter ego. The good news is, there are things you can do to make this distinction less pronounced, and present as someone closer to who you really are. 

Social media may be warping your perception of reality simply because you spend too much time on it. If all of your free time is occupied by checking your notifications and posting on your story, you’re spending a lot of time playing a role.

One good way that you can separate yourself from who you are on social media is to spend less time on social media. If you find this difficult, remove the apps from your phone, so they aren’t as easy to log in to. This could very well be asking something unrealistic, but it is better to suffer without the entertainment of social media than to continue to be a projection of yourself that only exists online. 

Social media can negatively affect your mental health by constantly forcing you to compare yourself to others.  When you close the app, you go back to being good old you.

How does that feel?

If it doesn’t feel too good, chances are you may be negatively affected by the people and things you see on social media. A good way to break this cycle of comparison and negative feelings is to avoid looking at accounts and content that trigger your thoughts of comparison. Get comfortable with who you really are, and the delusions will gradually make themselves scarce.

Social media isn’t going anywhere, but you can take steps to make sure you’re protecting your mind when you use it.