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The Beautiful Mess Behind My Perfect Posts

  ✍️ By Subhasri Devaraj

Image created by Author


Last Tuesday, I posted a photo of my morning coffee next to my laptop. Golden sunlight streaming through the window, perfectly arranged flowers, that trendy mug I bought just for photos. The caption read: "Starting my day with gratitude and goals ✨"

What I didn't show you? The pile of dirty dishes behind the camera. The fact that I'd been crying ten minutes earlier because my toddler refused to wear pants and we were already late for daycare. The coffee went cold because I spent twenty minutes staging that shot.

That's the thing about social media. We're all curators of our own little museums, displaying only the pieces worth showing.

The Morning Routine Lie

You know those gorgeous morning routine posts? The ones with meditation, journaling, green smoothies, and workout gear laid out perfectly?

My real morning routine starts with my phone alarm failing to wake me up because I forgot to charge it. I stumble to the kitchen in yesterday's clothes, step on a Lego (why are they everywhere?), and pour coffee into whatever mug isn't growing science experiments.

Some mornings I do meditate. For about three minutes before my brain starts making grocery lists. Some mornings I journal. Usually it's just "why is everything so hard?" written in terrible handwriting.

But the morning I managed to wake up early, do some stretches, and eat breakfast without anyone crying? That's the one that makes it to Instagram.

The Relationship Fantasy

Those couple photos where we're laughing and looking deeply into each other's eyes? We probably took forty-seven shots. My husband's back was hurting from bending down to my height. I kept saying "look more natural" until nothing felt natural anymore.

Real love looks like him bringing me coffee when I'm stressed about deadlines. It sounds like us arguing about whose turn it is to take out the trash, then laughing about how ridiculous we're being. It feels like falling asleep while he's telling me about his day, and him covering me with a blanket anyway.

But Instagram doesn't have a filter for the ordinary magic of being known by someone.

The Productivity Myth

My desk setup photos show clean spaces, inspiring quotes, and color-coordinated everything. They don't show the three different planners I've abandoned this year. Or the sticky notes covering my computer screen because I can't remember anything anymore.

The day I posted about "finding my flow state," I'd actually spent two hours scrolling social media instead of writing. But I did manage to finish one important task, so that became the story.

We share our highlights, not our struggles. Our victories, not our meltdowns.

The Parenting Perfection

Those sweet family moments I share? They're real. But they're thirty seconds out of a day that also included someone having a meltdown about the "wrong" socks, dinner ending up on the floor, and me hiding in the bathroom for five minutes of silence.

I don't post photos of bedtime battles or grocery store tantrums. I don't share the moments when I question every parenting choice I've ever made.

But I do share the spontaneous kitchen dance parties and the sweet things my kids say. Because those moments matter too. They're just not the whole story.

Here's What's Real

Behind every perfect post is a human being figuring it out as they go.

Behind every motivational quote is someone who needed to hear those words themselves.

Behind every "living my best life" caption is probably someone having a very ordinary day who chose to focus on one beautiful moment.

I'm not saying we should stop sharing good things. Joy deserves to be celebrated. Achievements should be acknowledged. Beauty exists and it's worth capturing.

But maybe we can remember that everyone's highlight reel is just that – highlights. The rest of life happens in between the posts. In the quiet moments and the messy ones and the perfectly imperfect everything that makes us human.

Your behind-the-scenes is just as valid as anyone else's. Your struggles don't make you less worthy. Your ordinary days don't make you boring.

And sometimes, the most radical thing you can do is be real about the beautiful mess that is actual life.


What's one thing you wish people knew about your real life that doesn't make it to social media? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.


🧠 Disclaimer:
✋ No AI Here:
This blog post was written 100% by me, Subhasri Devaraj, without the use of AI writing tools.
Every word is real, personal, and written from scratch — just like a proper conversation over filter coffee. ☕
No bots. No auto-generated fluff. Just me, talking to you

⚠️ No content here is copied or auto-published. I don't post anything I wouldn’t say to a friend.

📌 Copyright © 2025 — Subhasri Devaraj | Skill to Bill.
All rights reserved. Please do not copy, republish, or reprint without permission.

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