Managing Expectations on social media
In the fitness industry, it's easy to get caught up in comparing yourself to other people. If you're not feeling confident about your progress, it can be tempting to compare yourself to others and think they're doing better than you. The truth is that everyone has their own journey, and it's different for everyone. Comparing yourself with others can lead to feelings of inadequacy and frustration, which can make your workouts feel even harder when they should be fun!
Everyone is on their own journey.
You have your own journey.
Your friends have their own journeys.
Everyone has their own goals, reasons to, and reasons not to move in the same direction as someone else.
It's important to remember this because it allows you to manage expectations with yourself and others.
Don't listen to the haters
A lot of people take to social media to give their two cents about others, and sometimes it can get ugly. In the same way you can't please everyone, you also can't let negative comments get to you. If someone says something mean or unkind about your restaurant on social media, don't respond by being defensive or attacking them back—just ignore it and move on. You're never going to win an argument with a hater anyway; they'll always find something else to complain about.
Be thankful for your body and what it can do, not envious of others’ bodies.
Social media is a double-edged sword. It's great for keeping in touch with trends, learning new things, and keeping yourself and friends accountable. On the other hand, sometimes you feel like you're competing with everyone else in the world to have the best body or to be the strongest.
On Instagram, we see endless pictures of beautiful people posing in bikinis or lounging on yachts; they're in state-of-the-art gyms or have professional lighting and photoshopping—and if you don't look like them, it can be hard not to feel bad about yourself.
It's easy to start comparing yourself to others when it comes to your weight, too—but that's where things get tricky. The truth is that you won't look exactly like anyone else on social media because no two bodies are alike!
It is possible for people to appear of similar size and shape but have very different body proportions. Don't tell yourself you want someone else's body. That's theirs! Own yours and what yours can do and look like.
The social media experience is curated.
Social media is not real life. It's a curated experience, and you're the curator. Social media tends to be geared towards sharing your best self with others. As such, it's important to remember that comparisons are off-base because everyone's "best self" will be different from yours.
If you see someone on social media who seems like they have it all together and you think, "I wish I had their life," then try focusing on what's great about your own life and celebrating that instead of focusing on what others have that you don't. This will help set realistic expectations for yourself in a way that won't cause unnecessary stress or disappointment.
Your strength doesn't come from your body, it comes from your mind.
We often think of strength as something that comes from our bodies, but it actually comes
from our minds. We are strong in the face of adversity because we have a positive mindset,
not because we can bench press 225 pounds.
When you’re working out, it’s easy to forget that strength isn’t about how much you can lift. It's about how you're striving for improvement in whatever you train—whether that's lifting weights or running a marathon. Your body will strengthen with time and practice as long as you push yourself past what feels comfortable, but that comes with a strengthening of the mind too!
You can be happy for others and yourself at the same time.
It's easy to feel insecure when you see other people's accomplishments or social media posts. You might wonder why they are so successful, while you're stuck in a rut.
But you don't have to feel like this! You can be happy for others and yourself at the same time. In fact, it's important that we do appreciate each other's achievements because it helps build a more positive community online. We should celebrate each other rather than compete with one another over who has the best life or career success – because no matter what your goal is in life there will always be someone doing better than you!
The truth is: there are no winners here! Everyone has their own journey and we should all respect each other regardless of where we are on our path towards our goals and dreams (or even if we aren't pursuing any). If someone has something nice to say about themselves, then go ahead and congratulate them on their progress – but don’t worry if that isn't possible right now. It doesn't mean anything negative about who you are as an individual either way.
Remember
Do your best, and forget the rest. You're on your own journey, and you too can be your own HERO
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