Being a Better You

 According to the Wall Street Journal, Facebook (the company which owns Instagram) has documented that Instagram has a negative impact on  teen age girls. Are you surprised?

“We make body image issues worse for one in three teen girls,” read a slide from a 2019 internal Instagram presentation, summarizing their research about teen girls who experience these issues.

“Teens blame Instagram for increases in the rate of anxiety and depression,” said another slide, according to the Journal. “This reaction was unprompted and consistent across all groups.”

Do you think this only applies to teen girls? These girls, like most of us, are comparing themselves with an idyllic unreality. The touched up thin girls in adventuresome locations wearing perfect clothes on Instagram are not exhibiting real life any more than the Real Housewives of Atlanta are. The Real Housewives might make us feel better by comparison because we’d never do the ridiculous things they do, but the glamourous girls or guys of Instagram make many of us feel mostly inadequate or even unattractive because it seems like their image should be attainable yet it’s not. This makes people feel less than or even jealous. Jealousy is a sin, but we tend to gloss over that in our society-- maybe because coveting sells so much stuff.

Does the negative aspect of comparing yourself with others mean you should avoid competition? Competition is not the same as jealousy. If you want to win at a sport or game but can still congratulate your competition and wish them well no matter who wins, then competition may be spurring you (and your opponent) on to be better.

Reject the spirit of Cain and embrace the love of Christ for yourself and for others. Remind yourself that you are a unique creation, loved by many people and by our Creator. Instead of wallowing in lots of self-love to self-comfort from the spikes of inadequacy that can come from social media or of envying someone around you in real life, accept yourself for yourself but then, work on being a better you.

Deepening your relationship with Christ, sharing with your spiritual father, improving your relationships with your family and your true friends are ways to become who you were meant to be -- someone so much more than a quick Instagram worthy image.

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Dealing with the effects of social media on our view of ourselves is one of many topics geared for young men in our new book Forged which is available for purchase now at www.woveninhislove.org.