Normalize the lowlights reel
Let's share our 2025 lowlights (instead of just the highlights)
Warning: For the next 3 weeks, it’s going to look like everyone’s 2025 was the best year everrr1 and that you’re just a big, lazy loser with high cholesterol and a bad back.
Undoubtedly, your social media feeds are already filled with various Highlight Reel propaganda from people you know and love, people you kind-of-know and like, and people you continue to hate-follow for some bizarre reason.
This is a gentle reminder that it’s (mostly) a big lie2 and I am begging you not to fall for any of it.
Do not for one second believe that everyone else’s lives are gorgeous, intentional, put together and perfect all of the time. Even though it might feel like everyone you know is running marathons or having babies or renovating old farmhouses or traveling the world…they’re not. You are not the one singular human who feels like your life is a fucked up mess of disappointment, SSRIs, plummeting credit scores, and emotional ruin. I promise you.
As someone who knows how the highlight reel sausage is made3, I can assure you that when we share this stuff, we don’t mean to be liars…and yet, we are kind of lying, in a way.
When people post their highlight reels, they’re sharing their best angle. The rogue moment when the kids actually smiled at a camera. The hard-earned promotion they’ve spent years chasing. Their adorable, new puppy (that also just destroyed their favorite purse).
They are sharing moments of joy…and honestly, thank GOD. We need to share more joy! But let’s remember these moments of joy are not criticisms of us. We can’t internalize the message that we are somehow not enough because we didn’t compete in a triathlon or set up a Free Little Library4. We can’t let these messages and moments make us feel like we’re losing some imaginary competition.
These are curated moments of joy and that’s it. Every photo, holiday letter, and company holiday party anecdote are scenes of other people’s *best* moments. They are not their average moments or most frequent moments.
When you open that gorgeous holiday card from your high school friend who has never been unemployed or divorced or sick with more than a head-cold or faced an existential crisis, please go easy on them and on yourself. When you see your cousin’s perfect engagement ring or that unexpected sonogram photo in your IG feed5, try to imagine what you’re not seeing. The behind-the-scenes moments, if you will.
We are all imperfect humans. Flawed. Messy. Desperate for understanding and approval. Both longing to be seen and terrified of it, all at once.
For all the good times this year, we also experienced a string of disappointing lowlights…many of which still haunt us. We just choose not to share them publicly. Mostly.
Well, I decided this year to share my lowlights.
I was inspired by this post I saw on IG by Jess Bolton a few days ago…
And then I decided to make my OWN lowlights reel of 2025…because I worry that I’m part of the problem.
So in the spirit of transparency, here are some of my lowlights from 2025…enjoy the chaotic mess and never-ending guilt spiral that is my life!
Join me, won’t you?
Show me your lowlights!
And that everyone you know hired a professional photographer to take family portraits in a field
If not a lie, then a glaring stack of omissions
I’m an expert on this because a) I’m in marketing and b) I’m personally guilty of doing this very thing
Honestly it’s just weird the things I associate with people who have their shit together
Still, even after so many years, my biggest personal trigger tbh
Hear, hear!!! Love this and you!
This is the best post I've read in a long time. It's real and exactly what I needed as I'm reviewing my end of year.
P.S.: You're awesome and a fantastic human being!