Social media is supposed to make me feel more connected with my friends but instead I feel more competitive. How do I resolve this? – Sheryl K

Let’s start off on a positive note. Social media does connect us with friends, especially those far away. Even our friends and family in close proximity don’t get to see pictures of our travels or our children without the use of social media. Think of the the old days – when people would invite over friends to show them slides of their trip to Paris. It had to have been dreadfully boring. At least now we can scroll as quickly as we want, and we don’t have to pretend to be interested! But yes, it’s a double-edged sword, all this connectedness. You see a friend sitting court-side at the Knicks game; a former flame is engaged; a cousin’s child was just admitted to a gifted and talented program. How could we not feel envious? But what we need to remember is that social media is only showing a highly curated depiction of life. It’s not reality, not entirely. Think of your own posts and photos. I know for myself I’ve put up darling photos of my children and nobody but me knows that moments earlier they were throwing tantrums. Or a gorgeous picture from a vacation that doesn’t reveal that the other six days were pouring rain. You just need to keep perspective about what you are seeing – remember it’s only a portion of reality, if that!!