I've recently begun to fancy the social media app, Instagram. For some reason, escaping into a world of memes, videos, and other people's lives is oddly satisfying. I could not understand why anyone would be unhappy using this thing. But the more I dove into the Instagram underworld, I began to understand why people take mental health breaks from it.

For one, if you're one of the people who follows your friends, it's so easy for that green-eyed monster to creep up on you. Especially with friends you aren't close with. You begin to look at the wonderful life they are posting about and then you start to look at your life and think, "Wow. I suck." You know in the back of your mind that this person's life could have some crappy stuff but in that moment, all you see is the amazing career opportunity or the beach trip or the flawless skin or the cute couple posts.

And even if you follow strangers, it doesn't get any better because there are so many accounts you can follow of people who have the "perfect" body and eat at amazing places and travel and UGH seem to have it all together. You know in your head that no one has it all together but that doesn't stop you from suddenly looking at yourself in the mirror and questioning your existence because your life does not seem even a fraction as fulfilling as this fascinating stranger!

But you see, that's not Instagram's problem. It's your problem. There is a reason you are feeling this jealousy toward your friend or that random perfect person. There is a reason you are starting to panic and question the validity of your life.

In my opinion, jealousy and all those other reactions to other people's lives are caused by fear and self-doubt.

Hear me out on this: Why do you care about these people's lives? They have no effect on you whatsoever and no matter how amazing or sucky they are, it doesn't change who you are in the slightest. So see, the problem is in you. You see that post of your friend looking all happy with his or her significant other and, the core thing you feel is fear that you'll never have a love like that. You doubt that you are lovable or worthy enough to have that kind of love. You look at yourself and think you're ugly or flawed and destined to be forever alone. That's not Instagram. That's your head.

So the next time your feed has you feeling down, maybe, instead of immediately taking your mental health break, sit with those feelings for a bit. Get to the root of why that post bothered you. Maybe then, you're mental break will be more productive as you'll know what you need to work with yourself on.