Practicing Self-Care Online
It’s easy to compare yourself to others you see online. My self-confidence is a victim of this as I continuously ask myself questions like why is my skin not as clear as theirs? Maybe if I use that one product that one person recommended, then I can have clear skin too! The cycle is continuous and I often find it difficult to escape. Social media has made it normal to put yourself down as these platforms reinforce the idealized version of beauty. This social construct is so ingrained in our minds that it affects insecure people like myself on a daily basis. However, it’s not just limited to the online world. I constantly catch myself comparing my appearance to others in real life as well. To be honest, I have yet to overcome this shallow obstacle, but here are some ways I will learn to love myself and practice self-care.
- Realize everything you see on social media is fabricated.
There is no such thing as perfect skin. Most of the pictures you see online are heavily edited and are meant to stimulate emotions such as jealousy and resentment. That’s the end goal of most people’s presence on social media; to show the best version of yourself for the sake of attention and acceptance. Nobody is as perfect as they want others to believe, but this is hard to realize as this is the only version you see. Try to accept your flaws even when comparing yourself to what you see online but don’t dismiss the online personalities you envy in the process. Learning to appreciate everyone’s beauty without comparing one another is the hardest but most important step in self-care.
2. Beauty is a social construct — redefine it and express these views!
Openly challenge the mainstream view of beauty and don’t be afraid to express these mindsets. Incorporate “flaws” into the mainstream view instead of trying to replace it, as this will be nearly impossible. Try not to fall into the trap of marketing that targets your insecurities, especially from brands that use online personalities to promote their products. This will only add fuel to the fire we’re trying to tame. I know this will be hard and will take time to adjust, but it will help you in the long run. Begin this process gradually by adjusting your reasoning for “improving” yourself one way or another. Don’t change yourself because you feel inferior to others, instead, work on bettering yourself for yourself. This is the first step to self-love, which can help with your experience online. Expressing your opinion on what beauty is and challenging existing views will help others identify with your authenticity, hopefully creating a chain reaction.
3. Self-care = self-acceptance.
Finally, practicing self-care online will not be possible if you don’t practice self-acceptance in real life. This way you will not have to resort to unplugging yourself from online platforms, which will probably be just as difficult. Self-care is not limited to accepting your physical appearance, it also includes taking care of yourself emotionally. It’s always a good idea to tackle the root of the problem. If you feel like certain people or pages are damaging your self-confidence, don’t be afraid to unfollow or block it from coming into your sight. Get in the habit of not putting yourself down in comparison to others before you follow these people back.
Unfortunately, there is no simple solution to practicing self-care online without slightly altering the way you see the world. However, I do believe that practicing self-care online is only possible when you take care of yourself offline. Hopefully this article will help someone struggling with self-acceptance, as you are not alone. Let’s begin our journey to self-love together!
