Why is social media so obsessed with feeding us trends that are not one size fits all?
We should be taking one day at a time, being organised isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
What does non-negotiable mean to you? Does it make you think of a turkey on Christmas day? A holiday abroad during summer? A cup of coffee before speaking to anyone in the morning?
To me, the term ‘non- negotiables’ means yet another trend that’s trying to frame our lives, helping us be more organised and aesthetic. Our phones have recently been taken over by the idea that life should be idealistic and generates trends to make us feel as though we’re being pushed to have our ‘stuff’ together.
Why is social media so obsessed with feeding us trends that are not one size fits all?
The ‘non-negotiables’ trend has taken TikTok by storm, content creators from all over are listing what things they simply cannot continue their day without doing.
If I’m being honest, I’m choosing an extra twenty minutes in bed over make-up any day, so for me to say brow gel and mascara isn’t up for debate of a morning? Well, I’d be lying straight to your face. But ask someone else, and their answer will differ.
Sub-consciously we take these reels / TikTok’s in and slowly believe that social media’s way is the right way.
I personally think it just enhances the pressure we already put on ourselves. To-do lists and daily intentions are helpful but where are we left if we don’t complete them? If we leave the house without making the bed or go to sleep without having had a ‘sleepy time tea’? Are these organisational trends deterring motivation as opposed to driving it?
Though we all have certain ways of making our days brighter and easier, skipping out on them doesn’t mean you’ve failed.
There’s a weird concept in life where, if you don’t achieve things by your own internal deadline, then you have no other time to complete them. Though for work, school and certain errands, time is of the essence, most other things can be dealt with upon being met.
For example, rushing to finish your university assignment before your 17:00 gym class. Yes, the feeling of completion is rewarding but the laptop will still be there at 18:30, or even tomorrow morning.
This being said I do have things I class as important, for example time to have a coffee in the morning or an hour of reading before bed. But failing to do so doesn’t leave me feeling unaccomplished and that’s what works for me. I find taking each day at a time, whilst still romanticising the little things, is the perfect cocktail for my life.
I think it’s extremely important to reinforce that yes, it might work for them, but it isn’t guaranteed to do so for you. Non-negotiables are defiantly not for me.
Written by Isabel Butler