Is she stronger than I am, leaner, more muscular? Are her thighs thinner than mine?
This trap is easy to fall into anywhere I go, even at the grocery store. Because I've suffered with anorexia,the comparison game is that much more deadly. One comparison and I feel like I'm on the downward track back to restricting, so I try to avoid doing this at all costs.
However, I think on instagram, there is an even higher chance that I'll get sucked in because, and this is especially true if you are in the fitness field, there are millions of people posting about their gains, loses, transformations, and so on. It's kind of hard to avoid everything, without wanting to follow people.
I won't take myself out of the running for this behavior though. I do it too, because it does make me feel good when people like a photo I've posted of myself flexing or something. A need for attention, anyone?!
So I do understand why so many people post these images. They are for themselves and maybe for a little bit of attention too. But I don't understand why people post these as a source of motivation.
I've actually never understood why someone would use shredded and impossibly perfect images to motivate someone into working out or becoming better. For me, personally, they've only been a source of frustration and again, comparison.
When I see one of these photos, I immediately go into panic mode, "ugh, I'll never look like her, she looks so amazing." "Why can't I look like that? I feel like a failure." etc, etc. You get the point.
There's nothing good that comes from these images, really. I mean I can't be too angry because I have succumb to this phenomenon, to some extent. I try not to post too many photos of me "showing off" because I know deep down, that what we look like is not a true reflection of who we are inside. And what our bodies look like isn't more important, in any way, than what our bodies can do.
It's all about what my body can do, for me, when it comes to fitness. Yes, lifting weights helps me feel better about my body, but it helps me feel better about who I am as a person 100% more. I love who I am when I am lifting, and loving myself does not come easy.
The main point here is to be careful while on these social media websites, because it's so easy to get distracted and engulfed into the horrible flame of comparison. It's difficult just going outside and seeing the temptations, never mind having them in every nook and cranny of your computer.
Just be careful, use common sense, and don't compare!
xoxo
Tayla