You opened Instagram for a 5-minute break. But now you’re 30 minutes in, watching someone prep avocado toast in a spotless kitchen, wearing matching pastel loungewear, surrounded by candles and fairy lights. And suddenly, your aloo paratha breakfast doesn’t feel “clean” enough. Your bedroom feels too chaotic. And your life? Just a little… less. If this sounds familiar—you’re not alone.
Let’s be very clear: Instagram is not real life. And you are not actually behind in life.
Why You Shouldn’t Compare Your Life with Influencers
We understand that comparison kicks in the moment we witness others doing outstanding things whereas we normal humans are trying to juggle between work-life balance, deadlines, parental responsibilities or just existential crisis. So, next time when comparison mode kicks in, you can remember these pointers that I am going to share today to ground yourself in reality.
1. Influencers Are Not Living, They’re Working
We need to understand this: Influencers don’t just live beautiful lives—they create content that looks beautiful.That elaborate dinner video? It took probably three different angles to shoot it to perfection. That “relatable” rant reel in a messy bun? Took 2 hours and 40 drafts. That glow-up video? Sponsored by a skincare brand. They’re not wrong for doing it—it’s their job. But we’re wrong to assume we’re supposed to live like that, every day. Presenting their life in this way is actually their full-time or maybe part-time job.
2. Their Job is to Sell Aesthetics
Your Insecurities? That’s the Product for all the influencers. Let’s say it bluntly—Influencers get paid to make you want more, crave more and keep you in the cycle of perpetual buying so that they can earn through you. They’ll show you their dreamy morning with a 7 step skin care routine and an expensive scented candle to make you feel like your Rs. 199 moisturizer isn’t enough and you are lacking behind in life if you are not living life their way. They won’t say it to you, this message is conceived by your subconscious when you get accustomed to watching such videos on a loop.
And while you’re feeling insecure about your uneven skin tone or repeated outfit—
they’re booking their next Maldives trip thanks to your clicks and buys.
It’s smart marketing. But it’s not your fault for feeling the FOMO. That’s how the capitalist system is designed to work.
3. They’re Paid to Shoot Content
You’re Paid to do your job. Here’s a reality check: You’re not supposed to wake up and record your life.
You’re probably waking up to:
- Pack tiffins
- Get to college or work
- Study at least 4-5 hours or maybe more
- Deal with office deadlines
- Take care of parents or kids
- Make chai for guests who came unannounced
That’s real. That’s routine. That’s life. Not everything needs to be documented to be beautiful. Influencers have time to shoot content because it’s their job. You don’t—because you’re doing a million other important things.
4. Real Life Doesn’t Look Aesthetic (And That’s Okay)
Your kitchen has steel containers, not color-coded jars. Your mirror selfies have a switchboard in the background. You eat from stainless steel plates, not marble countertops. You dry clothes on the balcony, not in a hidden laundry room. Does that mean your life is any less? Absolutely not. You’re living a real, rooted life. And that can’t be compared with the staged perfectionism that you see online. You can never know what exactly their lives are like behind the camera.
5. You’re Not Lazy. You’re Just Human
The problem isn’t that you’re not productive or organized. The problem is that you’re comparing your reality with someone else’s highlight reel. That’s like feeling bad that your day wasn’t as fun as someone’s birthday party pics. Of course not—it was their special day that comes once in a year.
So please stop feeling guilty if:
- You’re not doing a 6-step skincare routine every night
- You skipped journaling and chose Netflix instead
- Your “self-care” is lying in bed doing nothing
That’s normal. That’s healthy. That’s human.
Final Thoughts: You’re Doing Just Fine
The most peaceful, fulfilled, kind, hardworking people you know—do they even post regularly? Probably not. Because the most meaningful things in life like caring for your family, showing up for work, laughing with friends, or getting through a tough week—don’t look good on camera.
And that’s okay. You have to keep in mind that: they’re selling a fantasy whereas You’re building a real life. You don’t need aesthetic proof to feel proud. You don’t need online validation to be valuable. You’re already enough. Without the filter. Without the views. Without the story update.
