There are days when I wake up, open the window, look at the sky, and hope things will happen just like they would in a movie. I want to feel like the protagonist of one of the many TV shows I watch every day. Everything seems to make sense. I am the main character (or at least that’s how I want it to be). But then there are days when I don’t even want to get out of bed, I compare myself to everything I see on social media, and I start wondering if the decisions I make are really the right ones, if I look like other girls my age do online, and I honestly question if I’m failing at this role I’m supposed to be playing.

Has that ever happened to you?

Image Credit: Jametlene Reskp from Unsplash

What is "Main Character Energy"?

It’s that feeling that life revolves around you, that even the smallest things must be accompanied by an emotional soundtrack and deep meaning. It’s drinking coffee while sitting by your window as it rains, and thinking the universe is preparing you for the moment that will change your life. It’s dressing differently, just like celebrities or people you admire in real life do, recording yourself dancing (even if you don’t like it), and pretending it’s the happiest moment of your day—or even crying in front of your phone, feeling like the lead in a beautifully directed romantic tragedy.

And that’s not wrong. In a world where we feel like everything is slipping away, where life passes us by while we just watch, claiming the role of the protagonist can be a way to take back control. To feel like our lives are just as valuable as those of the people we admire so deeply.

Image Credit: Chang Duong from Unsplash

Take the Quiz: Do You Know Gen-Z Slang?

Take this quiz to see if you're updated on the latest Gen-Z slang!

The Good Things About Being "The Main Character"

1. Self-worth: You remember that your story deserves attention, respect, and love. You prioritize your well-being and happiness above other things or people.
2. Self-expression: You dress how you want, speak with intention, and do things for and because of yourself, regardless of what others think.
3. Introspection: Imagining your life as a movie makes you reflect more on its meaning: What chapter am I in? What am I learning? How will my decisions impact my day?
4. Resilience: Main characters never give up, not even when the whole world is against them. And neither do you.

Image Credit: Aedrian Salazar from Unsplash

But... What Happens When Instagram and TikTok Write the Script?

Main Character Energy has become a whole trend, and like many trends, it ended up being taken over by social media. And while it can sometimes be inspiring, other times it makes us doubt everything, including our own worth as people.

TikTok tells us how a “main character” should dress, what she should eat for breakfast, how she should act, which songs or artists she should listen to, even how to cry, or what kind of boyfriend she should have to be considered likeable or worthy by society.

And if you don’t fit in, if your life doesn’t look aesthetic enough, if your room doesn’t have LED lights or you don’t sound like a fashion pro… suddenly you wonder if you’re “good enough.” Was all the change even worth it?

Instagram bombards us with filtered, edited versions of other people’s lives—lives that aren’t even the way social media shows them. They call it “inspiration,” but most of the time it feels like pressure.

Sometimes, without realizing it, you start to change how you act, think, and even what you like, just to avoid feeling like you’re outside the mold.

You begin to question whether you should talk less loudly or more sweetly. Whether what you're passionate about is “too weird.” Whether being yourself... is not enough.

And that hurts more than we admit.

Image Credit: Ashley Piszek from Unsplash

The Dark Side of the Spotlight

Because what they don’t tell you on TikTok is that sometimes this desire to be the main character comes with brutal pressure.

Because when it seems like everyone else is living their best life, what happens when you’re just… surviving?

• Constant comparison: What if I don’t have the perfect clothes, skin, house, or boyfriend? Am I failing as the main character?
• Loneliness: Believing you’re the protagonist of YOUR story can isolate you. Not everything is about you. Being the “main character” is more than thinking only of yourself—it’s also about how your actions affect those around you.
• Perfection anxiety: As if every step had to be aesthetic, as if mistakes weren’t part of the script. If your entire life is perfect, it might stop feeling real.
• Self-editing: You start censoring real parts of yourself for fear that they don’t fit into the “personal brand” you worked so hard to create online.

Image Credit: Mihail Tregubov from Unsplash

How to Embrace Your Main Character Energy Without Losing Yourself?

1. Be the protagonist of your life, not someone else’s show.
2. Enjoy the little moments without needing to record every one of them. What matters most is that they live in your memory.
3. Value your process, even when it doesn’t look like a movie.
4. Surround yourself with people who inspire you and bring positivity into your life, not people who make you feel small.
5. Remember that even side characters save scenes and change lives.
6. Stop trying to please the algorithm—and start liking yourself.

Image Credit: Antonino Visalli from Unsplash

Final Reflection

Having Main Character Energy isn’t about living to please others. It’s about living to feel.

And yes, your story deserves to be told. But don’t forget: your value doesn’t come from a script, a filter, or the beat of a background song. It comes from you. From how you keep going, even when no one is watching.