Guest Speaker Molly on Social Media

Hi everyone! This will be my first guest speaker on my blog but more will be coming every month (see my Blog News post) and one of my closest friends Molly is going to be doing it on Social Media! So here is Molly's post!





Here’s the first thing I would like to make clear about social media: it’s not bad! I feel like it is always looked on so negatively and seen as something to avoid and get rid of. And of course, social media is extremely far from perfect and unfortunately, it is often abused by teenagers, but like anything, if you use it in a healthy and balanced way it can be something great! 


Social media is a great way to keep in touch with family and friends that live far away. I live hundreds of miles and a few time zones away from some of my best friends. Because of the time difference and our busy schedules, we almost never get to talk, and being able to keep up with their lives on Instagram has been a blessing! 

 Social media is also surprisingly helpful with keeping up with current events, trends, and styles. I often look at my favorite beauty bloggers Instagram pages to get fashion inspiration and I know I would be lost when it comes to makeup without YouTube tutorials. 

And honestly? Almost everyone and everything has an account on social media. I once saw a furniture store ad that was advertising their Snapchat! It’s just what life is now. It’s how people communicate and advertise and live! And like I said, it is extremely imperfect, but as long as it is used in a healthy way it can be a good thing!

When I say “use social media in a healthy way,” I mean not getting too caught up in it, not abusing it, and understanding that it is imperfect. It is so incredibly easy to play the comparing game when it comes to social media. “Why is she so much prettier than me?” “Why is can’t I do makeup like that?” “How does everything look good on her?” But it is important to remember that everyone on social media only posts pictures of the absolute best times of their lives. Everyone posts pictures when they look the best, feel the best, and are happy! Unfortunately, that is 100%, not real life. Everyone has days where their hair just refuses to work with them and everyone has taken a selfie, looked at it once, and swiftly trashed it with feelings of utter regret. Social media broadcasts the best of times, but real life includes the worst of times. Remember that! 

Here are some of my tips that I enforce to ensure that I do not get too caught up in social media. 

Keep your phone out of your room! 


   My mom enforced this rule and I was so angry at first but it is honestly one of the best things she has ever done for me! Before she enforced it, I was always up in my room on my phone where she couldn’t see me and I would stay up so late just sitting on it and when I woke up, the very first thing I did was check it. Ever since she put the rule in place I was instantly less obsessed with it because I was simply on it less! This rule is GOLDEN and if you ignore every other tip I give you just follow this one!



                2. Do not check your phone first thing in the morning or last thing at night!

Just trust me on this one. Eat your breakfast, talk to your mom and get ready for the day before you go on your phone. This is KEY to detoxing from social media. Also, do not go on it before bed because it is horrible for your eyes, skin, and mental health. 



             3. Do not go on social media when you are around people. 

This one is so annoying and I’m sorry because I’m about to sound like a grumpy grandma who hates millennials and gen-z kids but do not go on your phone when you are around people! It is detrimental to building healthy relationships and it is rude! That is all I am going to say! 



           4. Don’t post, send, re-pin, like, snap, or comment anything you wouldn’t be comfortable with your grandmother seeing. 

              It’s not classy. 




Here are some reminders and tips of mine to avoid comparison and self-deprecation when it comes to social media:


Cameras are ruthless. Pictures depend so much on lighting and angles and if either one is off balance the picture is ruined and you somehow look like you are mid-sneeze rather than smiling. Just remember that you do not look like that in real life and if you feel cute you look cute. 


Life is not a Pinterest board. Some days you just gotta tie your hair up in a bun, slide on some sweatpants, and be okay with slightly resembling an egg. We’ve all been there. 


When you feel like social media is damaging your health and you are too caught up in comparison, turn off your phone and find something else to do. Delete the app if you have to! I find that Lent is a great time to detox from social media and take a break. 


Social! Media! Is! Not! Bad! Use it in a healthy and balanced way and it is perfectly fine to use. 


That is all I have to say on the topic of social media! If you made it this far thank you for reading and of course thank you to Mary for letting me guest write on here. Hope you enjoyed!