Have you ever seen a picture of someone on social media who’s totally shredded with six-pack abs and thought to yourself, “Gee, I wish my body looked like that!”?

Comparing yourself to others — especially on social media — might lead to a deterioration in your mental health from feelings of inadequacy.

But physical fitness is just one example of this lie that social media weaves.

You might be sad because you see people posting their happiest moments online, but you don’t know if they really are happy underneath. 

Social media is not always an accurate representation of a person’s life, so you shouldn’t treat it as such, because you never truly know what a person is going through.

For example, when you scroll through Instagram, and see somebody with massive arms and a chest that would make yours look sad, there’s a very good chance that person is using steroids.

Steroids are known to have extremely undesirable side effects such as off-the-charts testosterone, heart enlargement and even erectile dysfunction for males, all for the sake of bigger muscles, according to a Frontiers review article.

Instead of comparing yourself to some random person on social media who could be taking decades off their life to look good in their 20s and 30s by taking steroids, maybe try comparing yourself to the person you strive to be in the future.

Under the unlikely circumstance they are not using steroids and they still have a great physique, social media fitness posts are part of what is likely the top 1% of the top 1% of social media users.

That’s like comparing the first time you cooked spaghetti to Gordon Ramsey’s finest dish.

Posts on social media from internet influencers are made for a reason; to get views and likes.

People wouldn’t post something if they weren’t confident in their abilities in that particular skill.

If someone is posting a video of themselves playing a difficult piano piece, they’re posting it with the goal of seeing people watch their performance because they know it’s what they’re good at, and it’s what will get them likes.

Maybe you saw someone you know post a picture of themselves on social media with their six-pack abs, and you see the likes and attention they’re getting and you decide you want the same thing. 

If you think that being lean means being healthy, here’s the ugly truth you may not know. Being lean enough to have visible abs is not sustainable year-round.

This is especially true for females because they naturally carry more body fat, according to the National Library of Medicine.

This is important to know because females are much more likely to compare their facial structure and body shape to others in comparison to men, according to a Marquette University study.

Lower body fat percentages are also sometimes associated with having privilege, according to an International Journal of Obesity review.

People who store more fat may be at a disadvantage, which means they may try to lose their weight and end up comparing themselves to something unachievable.

To be clear, being lean doesn’t make you unhealthy as it’s very healthy, but there is a certain point where you can go too far and get too lean.

A study following a drug-free female bodybuilder before and after her competition did not return to her normal menstrual cycle until 71 weeks after her bodybuilding competition, according to a study from the National Library of Medicine. 

In bodybuilding shows, the goal is to lose as much fat as possible but this comes at a great cost.

So when you see someone on social media post themselves in a position you’d like to be in yourself, think about what they had to do to get there.

Ask yourself, “Would I really want to go through all of what they did just for that?”
If you don’t want to spend 10 years playing guitar so you can look good at parties, then don’t. You can choose to be happy with that decision.

When you see amazing guitar players on social media, you’re seeing the top 1% of guitar players and they get those views because they’re extremely talented.

Be mindful of what people are posting when you are using social media, and most importantly, be kind to yourself.