When something makes us happy, our natural instinct is to share it with everyone.
Happiness is a great thing to show off, and posting about it online is the perfect way to make sure it’s validated.
If others think we are happy, then we must be, and we can feel much better about ourselves knowing our lives are portrayed positively.
We are a generation that's all about the image, so naturally there’s no thought behind sharing any bit of happiness that comes our way.
But while it may seem like a good idea at the time, it can actually create more problems than you think.
Here are the reasons why:
1. We can ruin happy moments trying to capture them.
You’ve had the perfect moment, and you’ve interrupted it with the thought of what it will look like to others.
You’ve pulled out your phone to capture it, when really you should have just been enjoying it.
In a moment that should have just been lived, you’ve taken the time to worry about making it look perfect and forgotten to appreciate what was right in front of you.
We have an obsession with sharing our happiness with people who have no real concern for it, and we comprise enjoying the moment to do so.
If something makes you happy, it shouldn’t matter how it looks to others.
But sadly, we can’t get past the notion that our happiness is amplified when others know about it.
2. What’s online isn’t true.
Then there’s the problem that even once you capture a moment, you haven’t really captured it.
A picture may speak a thousand words, but happiness isn’t something that’s easily communicated or needs to be.
You could get the perfect image of a situation, and it will still say nothing about how you feel.
But, the false insight it gives will have people thinking it does.
People can post pictures of themselves with the biggest smiles on their faces, but that doesn’t mean they are happy.
Too many of us are under the illusion being happy to others is the only way we can be, and as long as it looks like we are, that’s all that matters.
Being happy online isn’t the same as being content in reality, and the fine line between the two can completely skew our happiness altogether.
3. What happens when we aren’t happy?
Once you’ve announced to the world you are happy, you’ve immediately created pressure.
There’s an expectation to feel what everyone thinks you do, and you begin to focus on being happy for others and not for yourself.
Naturally, you go through waves of emotion, but when others are spectators of that journey, it amplifies everything.
When you are having a bad day, you are faced with the world thinking you are happy, and it becomes easy to feel isolated and alone.
Not being happy is completely okay.
But when the world thinks you are, you don't want to have to tell people that you’re not.
In a moment of euphoria, you rushed to tell everyone about it.
But had you not shared that you were happy in the first place, there would be no expectation to live up to.
Some of the best moments in life come with no consideration to anything else but what’s happening at that time.
Often when we are truly happy, we don’t even bother to stop and take the time to consider anyone else.
We just simply enjoy it.
There’s a certain type of insecurity to feeling the need to always validate your happiness with others.
But when you are comfortable with yourself, the need for others to know all the good just doesn’t seem to be there anymore.
Obviously, sharing moments is a lovely thing to do, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
But, posting about your happiness isn’t as uncomplicated as it may seem.
Holding on to your happiness takes away pressure.
It allows you just to live in the moment and let it just occur naturally.
