I am the first to rave about social media sites. I will always be a supporter of their benefits for careers and personal growth, as well as opportunities for connecting within networks of people. But, I also know of the disadvantages they can have on a person’s well-being.

Every day on Instagram we look at edited and filtered selfies, pictures of parties, vacations, and glamorous lifestyles that we wish we could have. We follow celebrities and "insta-famous" accounts that leave us in a state of comparison and negative self-awareness. On Facebook, we see others’ accomplishments, perfect family photos and albums of good times and happy smiles. We watch Snapchats of exciting lives and fun adventures. We compare Twitter accounts to see who follows who, who has the most followers, and we measure our humor and thoughts by the validation we get from likes, retweets and reactions to what we're saying.

Through all this, we forget that it is only the best of their lives. We forget that behind the photo, the status, or the video, there is more than meets the eye. No one puts up Instagram pics of their bad hair days. No one posts on Facebook about their failed classes. No couple posts a picture and captions the details of their huge fight prior. We don’t see Snapchat stories of someone sitting around the house bored and lonely. The problem with these social medias is that we only see the highlight reel. We don't see the behind-the-scenes, and we sit there and view it with insecurities about our behind-the-scenes, something we’d never want to show the world.

So I challenge you to take a social media sabbatical. Maybe for a week, or even just a day. Hey, it could even be a few hours. Take the time to get away from the comparison, the distraction, and the urge to look into others’ not fully personal lives that they promote online. This break from social media allows us to truly live in the moment.

Maybe change up your social media routine. Instead of looking at these right when you wake up or right before you fall asleep, try doing something that feeds your soul, like reading a good book or replacing your early-morning or late-night social media visits to those with a more positive outcome like an inspirational Tumblr blog or Pinterest accounts that are devoted to uplifting and inspiring material.

But you don’t have to give it up altogether. Go and enjoy your puppy videos, or the goofy pictures you send to your friends. Social media is a huge gift if we use it to our advantage, but keep in mind that there is more behind the picture. When you know this and truly believe it, you will be much happier and more content with the life you are living.