This Is How A Stranger’s Instagram Feed Brought Me Peace

I’ll be the first to confess that scrolling through my news feed on Facebook has propelled an eye roll here and there; the abundance of posts that showcase milestones and mushy moments sometimes irk me; not because I’m not happy for people and their shining endeavors, but because it seems very much overdone and more for the image, for performing for an audience.

And yet, I was surprised to find myself genuinely interested in a stranger’s Instagram account; a young and successful business woman who’s active on the social media scene.

As I poured through posts that featured incredible homemade food, and shots of a city that I love, and a cozy apartment in a city that I love, and beautiful vacations to gorgeous beach towns and international destinations (along with fashionable choices to boot), I found myself admiring her life. In an odd way, there was something comforting about clicking through this person’s day to day routine, which didn’t only feature milestones, but showcased an average Monday night in, or a typical weekday morning working from home with a cup of iced coffee and a fruit salad.

(It’s embarrassing to say, but in full disclosure, I don’t even have an Instagram account, which is a pure testament to how addicting I found these pictures to be.)

But here’s the catch, too, and here’s why I most likely took comfort in her photos as well. She did not just post the glamorous shots, or the artsy decor photographs, or the salivating dinners and sophisticated cocktails with her husband, or her work success stories. She was honest and publicly posted photos of her insecurities, of the fattening food she “stress-cooked,” of her lonely days when her husband was out of town for the majority of the work week. She didn’t try to always put forth her best and brightest. In between the inspiring lifestyle, she illustrated factors that were not at all Pinterest perfect.

I, for one, would have an extremely difficult time working the hours and ways she does, and I most definitely would have legitimate separation anxiety when apart from my significant other. But then again, that’s just me, just how that’s just her, and how she copes and deals with the less-than-ideal scenarios. Just how all of us humans must do to some degree or another.

I suppose what I’m trying to conclude is this: if you ever come across an Instagram feed like the one I saw, read it like a personal essay, like a lovely memoir.

It is quite the rare and refreshing thing these days, indeed.