Social media can be awesome. Catching up with friends and family, seeing photos of their vacations, and reading about their milestones in life can be fun and exciting. Unfortunately, it can also come with some negative effects, including lowering your self-confidence. It’s so easy to unfairly compare yourself to others and let your inner critic run wild when you spend lots of time looking at the lives of others. Being bombarded by the highlights of your friends’ seemingly perfect lives can even lead to sadness and anxiety. As with most aspects of dealing with your inner critic, it’s important to

Your inner critic gains a great deal of its strength specifically because of the fact that it’s internal. These are the messages you’re giving yourself, and sometimes your view can be skewed. It’s hard to see the best in ourselves, especially when our negative self-talk doesn’t ever seem to let up. That’s when it might be time to get a second opinion. Someone you trust who has known you a significant amount of time is usually a good source for realistic feedback. People from your inner circle will usually be upfront about your strengths and your limits. Allowing the critical