When you see pictures on Instagram or Facebook, do they inspire you? Depress you? Annoy you?

Recently it occurred to me that what I enjoy about the few Instagram accounts that I visit, is that the posts are of items that do not seem to have much angst in their postings. Meaning, most of the things I like to view are either gardening or interior decorations. There is a visual peace and tranquil quality about the postings.

Of course I am not naive in my thinking. I know or can correctly assume that the neat and trimmed bushes of a side garden most likely have a wild, overgrown section off-camera. Or that the tidy, beautiful and perfectly placed decor belies the clothing strewn, piled papers, toys galore, and animal debris in areas behind the snapshot.

Instead of seeing those photos and thinking it is all a hoax- the “highlight reels” of one’s life and it is all fake- it gives me hope. Hope in the sense that for a brief period of time or in a selected physical section, we all can have peace and tranquility. Makes me look at my surroundings differently: If I look at a selected area of my life or my physical surroundings would I see peace and tranquility? Would I experience a pleasant aesthetic?

If I looked at my family and friends in a Facebook snapshot, what would I see? Would I catch their kindness? Their grace? The small conversations of encouragement? Would I witness their highlight reel and applaud and encourage them?

It is not so much that people are faking their entries, but rather using these snapshots to either escape their reality for a little bit or to try and put a positive spin on what is actually happening. In some ways, that is not such a bad thing. “Act as if…”

If we humbly approach our “highlight reels” and our snapshots, will we begin to have that peace and tranquility spill over into other areas of our lives?

For me, the gardening accounts inspire me and validate that my attempts at gardening are not that bad. I am more relaxed with my own garden or lack of gardening. I think, “Well heck, if she is attempting something new and different and sometimes it works out, sometimes not, I can too.” It is all about my attitude. Rather than feeling defensive or covetous about what I do not have, I can look at my surroundings and see what I do have.

I find that attitude adjustment also helps in the realms of those who have the “perfect” travel, home, family situation. We know that is not true. Everyone has something but if we can look at our issues with a more selective lens perhaps we would not be so depressed that everyone else seems to have it all. We would see the glimmers of hope in our own situations?

What about you? Do you follow many Instagram or Facebook accounts? What attracts you to them? What inspires you?

While it is hard not to compare and contrast, I think social media can be used for societal betterment when it is used judiciously. Certainly, we need to learn to just turn it off especially when focusing too much on what others are doing or if we find ourselves envious of another’s lifestyle. But there is a community of encouragement that can be formed. We just have to be discerning in our viewing and in our attitudes.