Social media can make it hard for couples to be positive about their relationship. Everywhere you look online there is another celebrity couple breaking up or someone being cheated on.
Sometimes after scrolling through your news feed, you might find yourself thinking, is my relationship secure or will I ever find someone who is truly there for me?
Don’t get caught up in this – remember:
Media feeds on the extremes. The over-the-top, glamorous couples with money or an affair with their partner’s best friend. Remember, your relationship is not the same as you see in social media where it is all about bigger better, sexy, etc.
You won’t see yourself as the pinups on Instagram. Unless you are a celebrity or in the public eye, your relationship isn’t in the public arena. Celebrity couples face unique challenges due to the nature of the media and paparazzi. Issues are distorted and blown out of proportion to get more clicks and sell more stuff. Thinking your relationship is up against this same scrutiny isn’t healthy. It’s like comparing apples to oranges.
Your relationship is yours. Comparing your relationship to your parents’, your friends’, or your favourite celebrity isn’t helpful. What works (or doesn’t work) for them may not be the same for you. If you need to compare your relationship to something, compare it against itself. Ask your partner about your how relationship is compared to last year. A yearly checkup is a healthy way to see what is working and what is not.
The grass is greener on the other side. We tend to want what we don’t have. Try to not get jealous. We all have that friend on social media who loves to post about how great their partner is. That same friend is probably not posting status updates about their constant money squabbles or the other things not going well. We all have areas of strength in our relationships, and we all have areas where we could improve. Acknowledge both and see perceived imperfections as opportunities for growth.
Real relationships have ups, downs, and lots of in-betweens. Allow the negative press surrounding relationships to blow past you and know that even though you don’t hear about it, everyone has issues they are working on in their relationship just as everyone has moments worth celebrating and sharing (whether they are posted to Facebook or not).
With social media bombarding us with extreme depictions of relationships – the perfect relationships and the breakups, affairs, and scandals, how do you work hard to stay positive and encouraged about your relationship?
