Have you ever found yourself lost in the scroll? Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.
Have you ever been scrolling so hard on your phone that your hand falls asleep? Or been staring at your phone in bed for so long that your hand gives out and the phone falls on your face? It happens. We are just so in it with this social media machine, to the point where I think a little part of our brain forgets that its fake…or styled…or paid for. I hope this post can serve as that extra reminder next time you get lost in the scroll.
Life is not all filtered Instagram pictures and styled product imagery and beautiful lattes and handstands on the beach. But some of it is. Some of life is super pretty and fun and positive and worthy of being shared in a 4×4 box, with a filter laid over for emphasis.
For better or worse, social media has become ingrained into our existence. It’s become natural for us to document and share our lives with the world. But with that comes the flip side, which is the invisible veil that blankets all of that content. The shadow side. The conscious contract we all sign, agreeing to the filters and the paid posts and hashtags in exchange for a small glimpse at how other people live their lives.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ve ordered the fancy coffee before just to take a picture of it. And I’ve made my husband take pictures of me doing a handstand on the beach. And I’ll tell you what. It took about 50 takes before I got even close to it. And even still, I threw a filter on it before posting it.
Don’t believe me? Just watch.
EXHIBIT A: A few of the many, many photos I made my poor husband take of me making a fool of myself and eating fistfuls of sand.
EXHIBIT B: Crop it, throw on a filter, add an inspirational quote that someone else said, use a text overlay app for added emphasis and voila! A super casual picture of me doing a handstand on the beach in front of a gorgeous sunset. Wow! #skillz
The thing is, I like sharing my life online. And I like seeing your life. The gorgeous vacation photos, the month-by-month baby updates, the adorable picture of your dog in his Halloween costume. I live for that shit! And it’s okay if you like it, too. I just think we need to start developing a bullshit buzzer in the back of our brains for those moments where we get lost in the scroll and forget those are just tiny, filtered, carefully chosen snapshots of a much larger picture.
The worst is when my 4 year old daughter takes the phone from my hand, and says “mommy, can you please put the phone down and play with me”. Hellloooo!!! Eye opener!!!! AND, to top it off, i PREACH being in the moment – being mindful – being organic – like, really?! Yeah, I’m guilty. We ALL are. But we can still recover and I am happy to say i have found my boundaries again, and marked up my priorities (my beautiful daughter) so i am riding pretty good. But it wasnt easy – that phone, the scroll, it sucks you in.
Girl, I feeeel this. I feel like the worst person when I catch myself on my phone around the kids. Major guilt-trip. Boundaries are a great way to keep yourself in check. And I feel the same about not practicing what I preach. We all fall off the wagon, we all get sucked into the scroll. The best thing to do is be mindful of THAT and get better at catching yourself when you step outside of those boundaries you’ve built. One boundary I just put in place was “no phone in the AM”. I’m even keeping tally of all the days I manage to get my day started without looking at my phone. I’m 1 for 3 right now But I’m hopeful the habit will stick.