I'm a millennial. Proud as hell.

I got my first computer when I was about 10 years old. My grandma bought the parts and built it herself. It was awesome. AOL... not so much.

I got my first cell phone when I was about 13. It was a flip phone with a camera. I was IN LOVE.

SOOO many computers and cell phones later, here I am with a cute little Lenovo laptop and a kickass Android phone that keeps my whole life in order. Having these tools makes college and my social life super easy breezy, but recently I noticed a startling pattern.

Every day, I would find myself scrolling through social media apps without actually reacting to or learning anything. Then I would realize how much time I wasted that I could've used to do something else, which caused me to feel a little depressed and super anxious.

I did this EVERYWHERE.

I'm talking at home, at school, at the store, at my friends' houses, at parties and even during time that I designated for studying and homework. I knew it was the beginning of a serious problem so I started taking steps to stop it. I deleted all of the social networking apps in my phone and relied solely on texting. Didn't work. I outsmarted myself and used Facebook through Google Chrome and found myself right back at square one. I did this whole process too many times to count. It got so exhausting that I decided to Google it (lol) and BOOM I figured it out; I was addicted to Social Media (Dun-Dun-Duuuuuuun).

I wasn't super worried at first because I figured, hey, there are worse things to be addicted to. What I didn't realize, was that I'd been fighting this almost my whole life.

I thought back to spending hours making my MySpace profile look (and sound) absolutely perf. I remembered tweeting all of my crazy little teenage thoughts and basically salivating over my Tumblr feed all the way back to middle school. It was startling, slightly cute and nostalgic, but mostly startling. I realized that my entire pre-teen to young adult life has been spent parallel to a profile on the internet.

I mean hey, technology is awesome. Being able to communicate with my friends without getting off the couch is a wonderful part of being alive today, but there is so much more to me than a freaking profile.

I wasn't the only one. It's estimated that the average American spends nearly one quarter of their work day browsing social media for non-work related activities. Of iPhone users, 28% check their Twitter feed before getting up in the morning and 18% of social media users can't go a few hours without checking Facebook.

In a blog post by social media marketer, Jason Thibeault, he wrote that he quit Facebook because "my news feeds were becoming an addiction. They were a constant interruption pulling me away from the work that I was otherwise enjoying ... Although I'm not a neuroscientist, I'd venture to say that what was happening was related to my Dopamine levels--when I was checking status updates on Facebook, my brain was rewarding itself with Dopamine; when I wasn't, [my] Dopamine levels dropped as a result, I started 'jonesing for a fix.'"

I realized, unfortunately, that that was my reality. So I decided, once and for all, that I was taking my life back.

One of my favorite apps to help with that is the StayFocusd app. During school, it totally comes in handy because you can choose the amount of time you want to allow yourself to spend on social media. It really helps during finals week and when I really need to focus on long term assignment.

Other than that, I've just been trying my absolute best to limit my time on social media and really focus on my real life. I have a mind, body and soul to take care of and when I'm immobile and staring at colors on a screen, I'm well aware that I'm wasting all of my potential.

If you're like me and are struggling with what you feel like might be a social media addiction, know that you're not alone and there are ways to beat it and live your life fully and vibrantly.

Go outside, spend real and meaningful time with your friends and family, prioritize your life, drown yourself in a hobby, learn a new skill, paint a masterpiece, look up a new recipe, read a book, make a dance routine, take a walk (sans snapchat), go swimming! The possibilities for living your life to the fullest are ENDLESS.

If you can't seem to beat it, have a purge week. Delete all your social networking apps and stay away from snapping, instagramming, sharing, liking and reblogging for one whole week. I know it sounds hard, and yeah, it is. But you'll thank yourself for it if you stick with it.

You can do it! I believe in you!

Namaste friends!