During summer time we are bombarded with sunny photos in far away places, photos of beautiful views and very pleasant moments. On social media you see how everyone fully enjoys the sunny weather and life, and you … are sitting in the office. Or you are working on your thesis. It seems that everyone can do what he or she wants while you are at work, school or other commitments.

Working in this heat is no fun, whether you are at home behind a fan or in a room with air conditioning. Or worse, in the kitchen or on the roof of a building. It is warm and extra tiring. After your obligations you are tired and you prefer to rest in your bed. But then, when do you have time to enjoy?

Nothing is what it seems

Try to remember that not everything on social media is what it seems. Yes, you might think ‘open door though’. Yet it is nice to hold this thought while you are scrolling through a timeline. The photos you see are perhaps ‘throwbacks’ or maybe they spend the previous days at school. Maybe they had a terrible day yesterday, so they wanted to get back in balance today. And, that is not what most people show!

Keep track of the fun moments you have

In addition, you may forget the nice moments that you have experienced relatively quickly when it seems that others experience the time of their lives ‘every day’. You may feel as if you are doing something wrong: how can he travel for a whole year? Why can she go to the beach every day? No matter how you turn it, everyone has to go to work at some moment (except special cases, of course). And there is nothing wrong with that: saving for that beautiful trip may only make it more beautiful! And that one day off that you spend on the beach is super nice. These are the things for you to hold dearly.

Memories are forever

But how do you hold them then? Memories of beautiful days, trips or moments will almost always be in your memories forever. Yet they are not always ‘top of mind’, so it can work well to discover for yourself how you can experience that happy feeling again. This can be nice when you are a bit overwhelmed by all the great photos and videos on social media. For example, you can make your own photo collection of your beautiful memories: physically, on your own Instagram or in a folder on your computer. Scroll through it!

Notes, quotes and short stories

Besides footage, it is also fun (and nice) to make short notes, quotes or stories of your good memories. For example, did you have to laugh because of some comments from someone you hold dear? Write it down! Did you feel unexpectedly well because of something that happened or something you did? Write it down! Do you see a nice quote somewhere that gives you a good feeling? You guessed it: write it down! In addition, it is good to keep a diary, so you see what both positively and negatively influenced your mood. That way you can handle all those great photos and videos on social media much better!

What are you doing to not get overwhelmed by all that ‘beautiful lives’ on social media?

NiceDay: use your NiceDay diary to keep track of what you have experienced and take a look at it when you can use a reminder of some good memories. Use your Daily Planner to schedule fun moments for yourself, that way you make time for it and you can enjoy the summer too!