Maybe it’s just me. Maybe being a more or less house-bound author is to blame. But recently I have discovered that my mood on a Monday has become inextricably bound up with the number of likes I get for the weekly blogs I write. As that number drops, so does my confidence.

It’s ridiculous really. I mean, a ‘like’ on Facebook costs hardly anything at all. To love something there is a split second more of a decision. To comment takes ten.

Nearly every night my kids force me to watch YouTubers who have millions of followers, never mind likes. Sometimes though, I watch them and wonder if all those accolades have made them happy.

Here’s a question- what if we stop clicking like and message that person to see how they’re really doing? What if we look around us and notice the people who actually, genuinely do like us? I fear for the state of mind in a person who lives to scroll through fake happy pictures of their remote friends but has no-one they can talk to about their real, messy reality.

Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing my friends on Facebook. There are lonely, stressful times when it actually can be a comfort. But it will never be enough, will it.

This time, I’m using my blog not to get some form of ego-boost, but to break through the artificial haze and tell you this truth:

You are loved. You are not alone. You’re worth more than all the likes in the world.