Meme

Root meaning “to mimic”.

Often, as I scroll through Instagram, my mind is inundated with thoughts and ideas simply based on the memes I’m looking at. In an instant, I am mentally transported. Perhaps this is why we enjoy memes so much, they catch our attention and immediately send us into a fit of laughter. There is something else I noticed was – the masked negativity some of them brought to my life.

Some memes can question the core of your value as a human being. For example, I saw a meme which was a picture of an ultrasound. The caption read: “The last time my family was excited to see me”. On the surface that is a very funny meme, and it made me chuckle. However, if you delve deeper, and take away the humor and examine its truth, its message is a very shitty sentiment. I’m not saying the person who created this meme is damaged, in fact, I find this person to be quite witty. However, to the many readers that see this and can relate to it on a deeper level, those people are going through pain. A pain that such humor help them to mask because no one should profoundly feel that way.

These memes create humor out of our pain. I understand laughing at things that would otherwise make us cry. While this is one way to “cope” with some of the pain we feel in life, the question is, are we really feeling that pain? Why do we work so hard to deny our emotions? To address the root cause of the pain that afflicts us. Melody Beattie, a pioneering voice in self-help literature says: “Acceptance is often all that is necessary to make them go away”.

Let’s start addressing those frustrations that lie beneath. Merely mimicking the positive outlook of these jokes that we wish we had is not enough. What we consume on a daily basis can affect our psyche, for good or bad. What about those moments that you are in bed – alone – scrolling. What reality are you creating from your perceptions. What are you saying to yourself? What is your self-narrative?

I recently wrote a guest post for WithCheryl called, Negative Self Speak – Breaking the Vicious Cycle.

The way you speak to yourself matters. The thoughts you have about yourself have a very real effect on your moods and actions. These thoughts gain power when you say the same things repeatedly—and become “truth” after enough time. Mantra becomes mindset. The good news is, I recently found and followed Alexandra Elle. Her voice and words are shared poetically in the form of self-love. The positivity of her posts and self-affirmations on Instagram are life reclaiming. Now I’m not saying to avoid all memes that could border on bringing negativity to your life – I’m saying to be aware of your thought patterns and reverse the thoughts that can come into the mind.

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