You may be manifesting all wrong—here’s what social media isn’t telling you

Spend enough time on Instagram, and you’re bound to fall prey to the manifestation algorithm. One minute, you’re casually scrolling; the next, you find yourself knee-deep in a world of scripting, visualising, and moon-charged crystals, all of which guarantee that you’ll be living the life of your dreams in no time. From the ‘lucky girl syndrome’ to the ‘let them’ theory, social media is overflowing with trends that promise to unlock your dream life with minimal effort.

Yes, there is a hell-a-lot of truth behind the idea of manifestation and the perks it brings. At its core, it’s about aligning your mindset, actions, and energy with what you desire. But thanks to its virality and commercialisation, the concept of manifestation seems to have lost its identity, which can be counterintuitive to its true meaning in the first place. So, how do you know if it's real or just wishful thinking? We asked the experts. 

Just manifest it!

“The concept of manifestation works with the premise that everything around us is a reflection of us,” explains manifestation and mindset coach Karan, founder of Manifesting Better. The ‘us’ here entails one’s mindset, perceptions, actions, and boundaries. “This concept operates on the belief that once you change these factors, the things in your life and the situations around you start to evolve and change.”

Relationship and fertility psychologist Sohini Rohra says manifestation is about three things: clarity, alignment, and action. According to her, it’s also a dynamic interplay between hope, action, faith, surrender, and resilience. “It’s the process of identifying what you truly desire, understanding why it matters to you, and taking intentional, consistent steps towards it while being open to the outcomes life presents.”

Where there’s hope, sadly, there’s also desperation. The result? A flood of misinformation across social media that often misses the mark on what manifestation truly means. “Some creators are sensing the pulse of the people and creating that kind of content to sell,” says life coach and tarot card reader Dee Kanjani. “People see, people follow… blindly, resulting in toxicity. They are always in need of quick fixes.”

It’s pure magic

No, manifestation doesn’t mean sitting back, visualising, and playing passenger princess without putting in any work. According to Rohra, people want fast results without doing the deep work—the reality, the effort, and the emotional intelligence are missing. “There needs to be constant effort to get to where you wish to be or manifest what you want,” adds Kanjani. “Without that process behind the scenes, you’re just setting yourself up for disappointment and toxicity.”

Run away from your feelings

Many manifestation coaches talk about ignoring your feelings… you know, delulu is the solulu. Karan, however, believes that should never be the case. “Feelings are an integral part of your life as a human being, so a good coach will tell you how to regulate them rather than letting them control your life.”

 It should change your objective life

“Your objective reality is part of nature and cannot be changed,” Karan explains. “Subjective reality is your experience of life, which is based on your beliefs.” You can change your subjective reality—such as your relationships or perceptions of money—since your beliefs often create self-sabotaging patterns.

It’s immediate

Even instant noodles take a little time to cook. Manifestation is a process. “The idea that you aren’t manifesting correctly leads to frustration, self-doubt, and even a loss of faith,” adds Rohra. In short? You need to trust the process!

Controlling the outcome

Manifestation isn’t about controlling outcomes—it’s about creating alignment. “True manifestation is about becoming the kind of person who is ready to receive what they desire by taking steps toward it,” says Rohra.

The dark side

The approach is simple—a healthy manifestation mindset allows you to embrace emotional flexibility, accept unpredictable outcomes, and adapt without blame. However, exposure to misconceptions—especially manifestation without balance—can have adverse effects on mental health. “If it’s used in a rigid, unrealistic, or escapist way, it can impact mental health,” warns Rohra.

Harbours toxic positivity

Come across ‘lucky girl syndrome’, the ‘let them’ theory or other trending manifestation terms? Well, these theories, which often resurface in different packaging, tend to oversimplify psychological and spiritual concepts. “They encourage a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to manifestation,” says Rohra. “For example, the idea that ‘I always get what I want’ can be empowering, but if taken literally, it can set people up for disappointment when life doesn’t go as planned.”

Encourages an avoidance of reality

Delulu truly isn’t the solulu, ladies. Believing that thinking positively alone will let you ignore real-life challenges isn’t the way to go—it only encourages avoidance of reality. 

Triggers self-blame

Scripted for an hour? Visualised for 30 minutes? Said your daily affirmations? And still didn’t receive your manifestation? You might think it’s because you didn’t manifest hard enough. While this isn’t true, the obsession with positive thinking as the sole factor in manifestation can push individuals toward self-blame when they don’t see results.

Increases anxiety and perfectionism

“Becoming obsessed with ‘high vibrations’ and fearing that negative emotions will block manifestations can trigger anxiety and perfectionism,” says Rohra. Especially for those with pre-existing mental health concerns, an unhealthy obsession with manifestation—and the lack of control over outcomes—can worsen negative thoughts and feelings.

Loss of resilience

Manifestation is often viewed as a ‘guarantee’ of an end goal, which isn’t actually the case. According to our experts, when things don’t go as expected, people may struggle to cope with the loss.

The golden rules of manifestation

Before manifesting, ask yourself one question: Why do I want this? “A lot of times, we go after certain things because of our own conditioning, which can be limiting,” shares Karan. “I really follow this rule. The feelings of revenge, fear, and anger are usually representations of pain, hurt, and grief, so working on those feelings often dissolves the desires that stem from them.”

“Remember, it’s not about forcing the universe to comply with your wishes,” says Rohra. “It’s about becoming the kind of person who is ready to receive, adapt, and co-create with life, rather than trying to control it.”

Lead image credit: Pexels

Also read: Can the "lucky girl" mindset be the life hack everyone's calling it?

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