What If We Learned To Appreciate Instead Of Just Using #Hashtags?

What if we learned to appreciate instead of just using #hashtags?

I’m guilty of saying the phrase “take me back” and I hate it. I think it means something deeper that we all need to think about. Before this pandemic, you would have taken the most epic Instagram-worthy vacation and now it’s back to boring life. You start posting your pictures of food and vacation views with the hashtag #takemeback and a sad face emoji. We all fall into this cycle, I am guilty of doing this. I mean who doesn’t want to go back to a time and place where they had no stress or responsibility for a week or even just a weekend getaway?

Here’s my issue with the phrase “take me back” and why I think it means more than we realize.

The phrase emphasizes your need to go back to happier and more carefree times. When you enjoyed life without the usual stressors. Let’s say you were able to take yourself back to that “magical” place. You would try desperately to recreate the amazing feeling of that first trip, but no matter how hard you tried you wouldn’t ever be able to replicate it because it’s in the past, we can’t replicate that. As much as we may want to, I personally believe that when we use that phrase or hashtag on social media we are really saying, “I’m not happy with my life right now and I need an escape.”

Sometimes it’s important to realize that not everyone even gets to go on vacation. You took a trip to a place someone else may only dream of for the rest of their lives. Take a moment to appreciate your current reality, and really take in your surroundings because you may never get to experience them again. The fact that you even got to where you are is something to be grateful for in the first place.

We have all felt this way, especially during the pandemic and the times we are living in. We want to be taken back to simpler times. We want to travel, have date nights with our significant others, or hug our loved ones. We just want to go back to the way things were but we can’t, this is our present, our reality. We will have to create a new “normal”. So what if instead of focusing on getting back to “normal”  We realize what we had and be grateful for it and truly be appreciative of it because I believe we honestly don’t do that enough. We want things the way we want them but everything changes. So instead we need to start focusing on working to create a better life for ourselves, little by little. A life where we don’t constantly crave escape. Maybe a life that includes moving or quitting a job you don’t like. Whatever that might look like for you.

I get it, change is challenging. However, an even greater challenge is wanting to go on a vacation or constantly wanting to go back in time, when you can’t. We tend to complain about not being happy when guess what? We all have the power to be happy we just don’t want to do the work. It’s far more convenient to plan an escape that everyone will be jealous of than to do the hard work that’s necessary to build a better life for ourselves. It’s harder and messier and we don’t like to show that struggle.

I’m not saying you can never say the phrase “take me back” again or use the hashtag when you’re feeling nostalgic. We will always look to our past memories for comfort and enjoyment. There’s nothing wrong with that. But the next time you do this, think about what area of your life you’re talking about and change it. Don’t just take the easy way out by focusing on how things used to be. Figure out how things should be for your own health and happiness, and take the steps to make it happen.