LIFE

Growing up in the age of social media and a global pandemic, it's incredibly easy to get caught up in caring too much—about what your crush will think about the Insta pic you just posted, about embarrassing moments, about the number of followers you have and about what others think about you in general. It's *exhausting* to care so much—it takes precious time and energy that could be better spent focusing on yourself. Read this article to learn how to let go of this toxic form of thinking and become your best self! 

Opinions are overrated...

Making judgments and forming opinions are critical aspects of human nature. You do it, I do it and the rest of the world does it, too. So if you don't like some people you meet, why should you expect everybody to like you? You shouldn't. While it may be a hard pill to swallow, you just can't please everyone. As Taylor Swift once said, "the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate"—Instead of wasting your time and energy trying to be liked by those around you, learn to just "shake it off"! 

...Except when it comes to your own

So whose opinion does matter? Yours, of course! Your outlook on situations is what defines your happiness. While it is easy to post exciting moments on social media to seek approval from others, true happiness does not stem from online affirmation—it can only be found internally. So, make sure that the choices that you make are for yourself and your own happiness and not for others. On the topic of making choices for yourself, let's talk about image. Trying to maintain an image is pointless and it distracts from the goal of ultimate happiness. Going forward, think about why you're making the choices that you're making. Is it for yourself or is your image?  

Make a laugh out of it

On that note, stop taking yourself so seriously! Life is too short to obsess over awkward and embarrassing moments. Instead of running away from these moments or making a huge deal out of them, make it a habit to laugh them off! Research suggests that laughing at yourself is beneficial to human health—it leads to social bonding, stress reduction, short-term memory, cardiovascular health, creativity and problem-solving skills and self-love! Besides, authenticity is an attractive trait in people so laughing at Plus, if you laugh at yourself, others will be laughing with you rather than at you. 

What you should do instead of caring 

At this point, you may be asking, 'If I shouldn't be caring, what should I be doing? Focus. On. Yourself. Think about what you *actually* want in life. Forget what your friends think. If you want to be a magician, who's stopping you but yourself? Live your best life and never hide (unless it's for an invisibility magic trick). Hannah Montana taught us that concealing your identity is a lot more difficult than it seems—so stop caring so much and go live your life!

How are you planning on focusing on yourself this school year? Let us know on Insta @girlslifemag! 

All GIFs via Giphy | Slider image by @amy_marietta on Instagram

by Tori Feinstein | 9/2/2021