Pinterest envy

I saw an article today while perusing a news site: 'Pinterest stress' afflicts nearly half of moms, survey says.

What?

Pinterest stress? That's a real thing? Because … and ladies, I cannot emphasize this enough … it shouldn’t be.

The article cites a survey of 7,000 US mothers wherein 42 percent said they sometimes suffer from Pinterest stress, which is “the worry that they’re not crafty or creative enough.” Here's the link to the whole article on NBCNews.com's Today Show section.

 

Really?

I am truly having a hard time believing this is a real thing.

Look, we get stressed. It happens. Hobbies - like crafting, baking, decorating, and surfing the Internet - should be a relief from stress.

But then again, I am not crafty. Well, I'm crafty in a devious way, but not in a make-things way. It doesn't stress me to not be good at something I know for a fact I am not good at. Like math. Or backing a car down a long driveway. Or making things.

For example, I suspect the ladies in my Tri Kappa chapter will be glad when I am no longer president if only so they don't receive handmade Christmas ornaments from me again. For the last two years, I have given them ornaments from the heart - and my hands - with letters that are more-than-slightly askew, and embellished with smeared paint and scattered glitter. Oh, the glitter. I used so much, I sneezed it.

That’s right … sneezed glitter. Out of my nose. Martha Stewart, I ain't.

Blurry photo doesn't do it justice. It looks even worse in focus.

 

Here's another holiday season pin I attempted. It mostly worked. Mostly. Soap and water weren't as kind to it as I had hoped. Whatever.

Sharpie paint pens, let set for at least 10 hrs., and bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. Helpful hint: if you misspell Santa and it reads Satan instead, you can use rubbing alcohol to "erase" it before the paint dries ... um, because I know ...

 

 

Anyway, Pinterest is just a Web site. It cannot judge you or make you do things beyond your grasp. So that means the "stress" from it comes from you and you only. So, my advice (not that you asked):

• Stop comparing yourself to other people. Your mom told this a long time ago. Why haven’t you taken her advice yet?
• Experts know stuff. The bloggers, professionals and others from which we gather our pins are good at what they post. You are good at things too. Maybe not the same things, but it shouldn't be a source of internal conflict for you.
• Some things work, some things don't. The fun is in trying. I attempted a breakfast casserole recipe that I had pinned that would have probably poisoned anyone who tried to eat it. I followed the directions from the pin, but something didn't take. Shrug. Giggle. Toss. Done. No angst.
• Check out PinterestFail.com and know you are not alone.
• Inspiration is ideal, but not always real. Magazines do not show dog hair on the slipcovers quite like my real-life sofa does. But I still have a nice home, even if you will never see it on the cover of Better Homes and Gardens … or pin it on Pinterest.
• Your life doesn't have to be Pinterest-worthy … just you worthy. And that's more than good enough.