Social media runs the world, whether it is checking Facebook to stay connected with family or posting on Instagram to show everyone how amazing your summer is — it ultimately makes you feel like social media runs your life.

This was where my problem started, I began to feel as though everything I did was revolving around my feed, and truthfully, it was. I wasn't taking pictures because I wanted to remember the moment, I was taking excessive amounts of photos until I found the most "post-able" picture. So, this summer, I made the decision to take a step back from constant updates to slow down and really enjoy my life.

At first, I quit cold turkey. I deleted twitter and Instagram from my phone because those are my two weak spots. This "cleanse" was hard and I only lasted a few days, but it was a huge reality check. I would literally get on my phone and immediately go to click on one of these apps, it really brought to my attention just how social media crazed I truly was. I eventually caved a few days in and redownloaded both apps, but I still felt like I had a new perspective that I wanted to put into action in my life at all times.

I was so tired of seeing perfectly-edited pictures and thinking everyone else was living their best life while I was sulking in my room thinking everyone else was so much luckier than me. Getting caught in this trap can become so self-deprecating and it will create insecurities that will eat away at who you actually are. Social media is great — it allows you to have the opportunity to connect with other people and it also gives you the opportunity to express yourself and your interests.

These are some of the reasons I am so passionate about social media platforms, but I wasn't using it for myself any longer. I was posting purely for how I wanted other people to see me.

So instead of deleting social media altogether, I decided to look at what I was doing that was creating so many insecurities and comparison when I was using these sites. Personally, my biggest issue was with Instagram. The first thing I decided to do was to post less.

They ended up being my favorite part of my cleanse this summer because I was no longer going out and trying to take the perfect picture — I was going out and enjoying my time. I even made it a goal for myself to not take a single picture when I went on vacation to the beach with my friends.

It became less about me posting for other people to see I was having a great time and looking good, and more about actually having a great time and embracing how I looked at all times of the day. I noticed I have become a lot more comfortable with myself and my image. I also made it a goal to stop checking the Instagram explore page. This kills, seriously.

Kills your confidence, kills your mood, and kills your goals. It is so easy to compare yourself when you are seeing all of these girls who appear to have the perfect EVERYTHING.

I love building up other girls and I am so happy to see everyone killing it, but I wasn't and I still am not in the place to see this because I get caught in the comparison trap. If it wasn't for this cleanse, it wouldn't have been brought to my attention what a serious problem this is and how it is something I seriously need to work at because there is enough awesome to go around for everyone and just because someone else looks like they have it all, doesn't mean that I can't also have it all.

So, I urge everyone with this same problem to just take a step back, count your blessings, and truly evaluate how much energy you are putting into social media and always make sure that it is for yourself.