Tis the season to avoid Facebook.. falalala la la la la
Engagement season is upon us folks, and if you have a Facebook account or have been anywhere near the internet this month - I'm sure you can feel it. According to experts (cough, Google) 43% of engagements happen between Thanksgiving and New Years Day, which explains why we have been inundated on our social media feeds. So how does that effect us?
The truth is, whether you are single or in a relationship, seeing peers settling down can impact us in ways we might not have expected. Here are a few ways to help you make it through the season.
1. Count your achievements. I know you had some.
Real talk, I could cure cancer and my fam would still want to know when I'll have a ring on my finger. Does that sound familiar? Have anyone, a close friend, a relative, a coworker turning on the pressure? Well listen to me and listen to me good: IGNORE THAT SHIT. Celebrate your wins. Did you get a new job this year? A raise? Did you crush Stranger Things Season 2 in record timing? Whatever you did this year that makes you feel good - celebrate it. You go Glen Coco.
2. Limit your time on Facebook. Look, I get it. We all like to procrastinate at work by scrolling through FB, thinking it will give us a moment of stress-relief from our daily lives. But guess what Buttercup? Science has actually proven that Facebook can literally rob us of joy. SCIENCE. We tend to compare our own lives to those 'picture perfect' snipets we see online, when we are not getting the full picture. Especially during this season, I say severely limit or avoid FB all together. There are so many better ways to spend your time online (like, just an example here, scrolling through @Bigkidproblems). Or check out some of my other favorite, funny sites Imgur or Reductress. Laughter really is the best medicine.
3. Swipe right. If your relationship status is really getting you down, there's no time like NOW to jump back on that...horse.
Give your love life a jumper cable to the dick by trying a new dating app or revamping your dating profile. I've heard the most success stories from Hinge and Bumble but there have probably been 3 more dating apps created since I typed this sentence. Grab yourself a glass of wine and get to swiping.
There you have it folks. A few more days and Engagement Season will be behind us. If you need a gift for a newly engaged friend, I've got you covered, so don't stress. Stay strong, and remember that without a ring, you aren't tied down to shit. You have complete freedom, endless possibilities, and 60+ years to figure it out. If you ask me, that doesn't sound so bad.
SM