Does Our Online Presence Tell The Real Story? Hell No.

On average, it takes me probably a good sixteen minutes to post one photo on Instagram. Why so long you might ask? Because I have to make sure the image is properly cropped, the lighting is spot on and the style of the photo matches the rest of my feed. Plus, I have to come up with the perfect caption, hashtags and emojis to accompany the photo. This all takes time.

But the truth is, you don’t always see the real story.

You would never know I’m leaning over a flower pot with a messy topknot and a stupid ugly trash can next to me when you see my perfect basic white girl coffee post. Photo/art by: Krissy Leigh Creative

This is the image I would share publicly on my feed, when the real story is up above. Photo: Krissy Leigh Creative

So why am I sharing the actual story of this iced latte post? Because I want you to quit feeling like your life is below average when you see other people’s perfect Instagram feed. You may have read my article a couple months ago on comparison. It’s a real thing we all struggle with.

Yes, I travel a lot and I drink fancy coffee and I have fun nights out at trendy new bars and restaurants with my really pretty friends. Those are the things I share on my Instagram feed. But I also wear my hair in a topknot, get a big zit on my face, and spend an entire day in pajamas figuring out my budget for the month. Those are the things I don’t post about, but that doesn’t mean they don’t happen.

Despite someone’s unbelievable success, incredible vacations and fancy dinners, we all have bad days. We have days we don’t look or feel good, we have days we’re crabby and don’t want to leave the house, and we have days when there’s nothing cool to post on Instagram. That’s reality. Don’t let the countless amazing posts you see lead you to believe you’re the only one with days like that.

Is this me starting some revolution to share all my worst days on social media? Heck no. Why would I want to do that?! Ha! This is me reminding you that no one does that, so you shouldn’t compare your life to anyone’s online presence.

Embrace those incredible moments and share them with others, but don’t forget the bad days don’t only happen to you. Everyone’s life is far from perfect. So next weekend when you see me post a beach photo from Miami, just remember that right now I’m wearing fuzzy pink socks, my apartment is a mess and I’m drinking wine from a Bota Box. I’m just not posting about that on Instagram.

Keep living your fabulous life! And follow me on Instagram so I can follow you back and see your best moments!