I do not think humans were ever supposed to know this much about everybody else’s lives all the time.
Sometimes I genuinely think that is why so many people feel anxious, overwhelmed and like they are somehow failing lately, because the second we wake up in the morning we are immediately hit with hundreds of other people’s lives before we have even had a coffee.
And honestly, I catch myself doing it too without even realising sometimes.
You open Instagram for five minutes and suddenly somebody your age has renovated a beautiful house, started a business, gone on three holidays, perfected their Pilates routine, drinks green juice every morning and somehow still looks calm and emotionally stable through all of it.
Meanwhile I am sitting there trying to remember if I actually replied to an email from two days ago while reheating the same cup of coffee for the third time.
Social Media Has Changed What “Normal” Looks Like
I think social media has completely changed what normal life looks like in our heads.
Years ago, you mostly compared yourself to people physically around you. Your school friends, neighbours, work colleagues and people living relatively similar lives to your own.
Now we compare ourselves to influencers, celebrities and strangers online from all over the world constantly without even thinking about it.
And because people mostly post the best parts of life online, your brain slowly starts believing everybody else is happier, richer, more successful, more attractive and more together than you are.
Even when logically you know social media is curated, it still affects you mentally after a while.
Moving Away Made Me Notice It Even More
I noticed this even more after moving away from the Highlands.
Back home, life felt slower somehow. There was less pressure to constantly perform all the time. More nature. More space. More real life and less feeling like everything needed documenting or proving online.
Since moving and working mostly online, I think I have realised just how much time people spend consuming everybody else’s lives instead of properly living their own.
And the strange thing is, social media never really lets your brain rest either.
There is always somebody doing better.
Travelling more.
Looking better.
Achieving more.
Earning more.
Living in a nicer house.
Having a more exciting life.
There is no finish line to comparison anymore because the internet gives you unlimited people to compare yourself against forever.
The Pressure To Have Life Figured Out
I honestly think that is why so many people quietly feel behind in life now even when they are actually doing completely okay.
There is also this weird invisible timeline online that makes people feel like they should have everything sorted by a certain age.
The perfect relationship.
The house.
The career.
The confidence.
The money.
The perfect friendship group.
The perfect body.
The perfect life.
And if your life does not match that exact timeline, it can genuinely make you feel like you are doing something wrong. I have definitely felt that pressure myself at times, especially after moving somewhere new and starting over in a lot of ways. Social media can make everybody else’s lives look incredibly full while you are sitting there feeling slightly disconnected trying to work out where you fit again.
Nobody Posts The Hard Parts Properly
But honestly? I think far more people feel lonely, uncertain and overwhelmed than anybody properly admits online. Most people are just posting the polished version.
Nobody really shows:
- the anxiety
- the loneliness
- the burnout
- the financial stress
- the self doubt
- the evenings spent scrolling feeling completely unproductive
- the moments where they feel lost
Those parts rarely make it onto Instagram.
Why Social Media Feels So Mentally Exhausting
I also think social media has quietly made it difficult for people to feel content with normal life anymore.
There is always pressure to improve yourself constantly.
Look better.
Do more.
Achieve more.
Optimise more.
Even hobbies feel performative now.
Walking becomes step goals.
Skincare becomes anti ageing.
Working out becomes aesthetics.
Holidays become content.
Everything feels slightly monetised and measured.
And honestly, I think people are exhausted from trying to keep up with an impossible standard nobody can realistically maintain all the time.
Final Thoughts
The older I get, the more I value people who feel real.
The people who disappear offline sometimes.
The people who admit life is messy.
The people who are not constantly trying to look perfect all the time.
Because real life is messy.
Most of us are just trying to do our best while quietly figuring things out as we go.
I genuinely think social media has made a lot of people feel like they are behind in life when actually they are just living normal human lives.
And honestly, if you have been feeling like that lately too, I really do not think you are alone.
