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Dr. Scott Turansky

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Imagine a car dealership where a man named Martin works in the showroom. Martin sells cars to prospective customers. When he sees a car without a door, he's surprised and upset.…Imagine a car dealership where a man named Martin works in the showroom. Martin sells cars to prospective customers. When he sees a car without a door, he's surprised and upset.… read more

Facebook Envy

Posted on October 22, 2012 by iMOM

Facebook helps us keep up with old friends, new friends, and mom friends. But as you scroll through those status updates about straight A’s, or yet another professional family photo where everyone looks magazine-perfect, don’t succumb to the temptation to feel less-than.

What you see on Facebook is what others want you to see—and it’s rarely an accurate reflection of their lives overall. No one posts about having to go meet with the school principal about behavior issues, uploads a picture of dirty kids playing in last year’s too-little t-shirt, or shows that pile of unfolded laundry on the living room sofa. And if you could see past the good news that others choose to share and celebrate, you would realize that every family has those moments and issues. We’re all more alike than you know.

So here are 4 Ways to Deal with Facebook Envy so you can put it aside and learn to be content. Likewise, help your child identify envy, jealousy and other feelings in themselves with our printable Feel Wheel. Post it on the fridge so your children (and you!) can simply point to what they’re experiencing.

End your day: Talking with your child

Looking at the Feel Wheel, what emotion did you feel the most today?

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Marirago

Although a little bit of jealousy is normal, I have to question if it is the level of envy you are are discussing is really that healthy, considering one needing to find ways of “dealing with it.” I am genuinely happy for my friends and family when I am able to read about the many positives aspects in their lives. I rarely if ever feel my life is inadequate because others are thriving. Personally, my boys do get really good grades and as a family we have a lot of success. This success comes with a lot of hard work, I would hope my FB friends and family would be happy for me the same way they would be concerned if negative things were to happen. I do not believe I would have many friends if I focused more on the nuances of life and believe my personality would be seen as a total downer. I think it is important to be happy for others, for their successes and not feel insecure about our own lives. Instead of finding ways to deal with FB envy maybe we should begin to understand why we even feel such jealousy? My guess is that there would be feelings of insecurity and dissatisfaction from within. Personally while reading about a weight loss goal accomplished, promotions or even witnessing pictures of friends traveling to exotic places, the truth is I become inspired not jealous.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=791714795 Tara O’Connor Crooks

I agree it’s healthy to “look further” and realize that everyone is NORMAL. But, I’m with Marirago – what’s wrong with all the positive stuff? I for one, love to celebrate the mini (and many) accomplishments.