Where did we get our inspiration from before the internet? Well, we were usually inspired by friends, family, partners, magazines, department stores, television shows, and nature. Once the internet came along, there were blogs, and ads, and Pinterest, and videos, and affiliate links, and more ads, and of course, I can’t forget MySpace, Tumblr, Flickr, IG, Facebook, and many, many more.

I love the internet and very rarely take a break from it because not only do I work online every day, but I’m also inspired by some of the wonderful things the internet has to offer. Yet, there are things about the internet that are depressing, overwhelming, irritating, and downright sad. Over the years, I’ve witnessed some of the most wonderful experiences, made lifelong friends, seen things I never thought I’d ever see, ran a business–two actually, that I love, succeeded in graduating not once but three times from college with over half of my courses online, cried, laughed, smiled, and at times died a little bit inside from things happening in the world covered by online media and new sites. Jealousy is one thing I’ve never felt in all the years that I’ve been online. I’ll be honest though, I have had to deal with a million other emotions (or so it’s felt like it), so my experiences haven’t been perfect.  I think my never feeling jealous, quite frankly, stems from the fact that I don’t want what other people have. I’ve only ever wanted what I wanted to have. A bonus to that is that I may very well be the last person on earth that would judge you. I simply don’t have the time or interest to be envious of what others have, or to cut down, judge, or devalue women online or anywhere else. I’m not excluding men, just so any men reading this know that. I know men have problems with this too, but I am not able to speak from a man’s perspective, so if you’re a man and want to speak about it, Please leave me a comment.

I stopped counting the people (mostly women) that I know who over the years have inspired me so, and friends, and others that I’ve loved keeping in contact with who have left social media altogether because they’re tired of people making mean comments and judging them and offering backhanded compliments or snarky sarcastic opinions and advice. A friend of mine declared one day after posting to her blog, IG, FB, Twitter, and well, everywhere, that as soon as she did, she started scrolling IG and everything everyone had posted that day was better, bigger, and brighter than her posts. She finally left social media behind at Christmas, tired of robbing herself and her family of joy in the comparison game. I talked with her in February and, honestly, she is doing great. I think what she went through is what a lot of people go through on a daily basis on the internet. All I can think to say about it is that thinking about your contribution online (yourself, your content, your life, your home etc.)  and comparing it to someone else’s is unfair. You are each drawing from your own perspectives, using different skill sets, resources, time, effort, energy, and different life experiences. There is no comparison. I’ll say it twice. There is no comparison.

If you’re having a hard time with being robbed of your joy, needing to take regular breaks from the internet, being depressed a lot and finding yourself devaluing your contribution to anything and everything, perhaps you too need to take a long hard look at the pros and cons of the internet for yourself. There are still many places and things in the world to be inspired by. The internet isn’t the only place you can read wonderful things and be fascinated by pretty pictures. If you’re struggling with putting together blog posts, uninspired to visit friends’ blogs because you’re afraid their posts will look better, find yourself styling your photos for IG or Facebook like everyone else, and still not feeling like your posts are good enough. It’s time for a break. Spring is almost here and there are walks, gardening, thrifting, beaches, camping, campfires, get-togethers, marshmallow roasting, spring cleaning, and so much more to look forward to and be inspired by. I hope if you’re feeling down, this post lifts you up and inspires you.

Until next time, be well. xoxo