Take the perfect picture.

Find the perfect caption.

Post.

Wait for likes.

Our world is driven by social media.

We're all guilty of worrying about our Instagram likes. I personally enjoy Instagram more than other social media outlets. It allows me to see and share life moments with friends and family. It's also one of the few outlets that isn't saturated with politics or negativity.

It’s wonderful that Instagram is an outlet that allows us to express ourselves through selfies, through quality photography, through photos of friends and family, through photos of pets, through photos of our favorite places, or even through photos of our snazzy mugs or fuzzy socks.

What’s not wonderful? The fact that so many people get validation solely from the likes they receive.

Naturally, and neurologically, you’re brain and body are going to send off feel-good hormones every time your photo is double-clicked. You can't avoid this. However, you can avoid this being your only source of validation. Bottom line? Instagram likes should not be the only way you feel validation. More importantly, it should not be the only way you seek it.

It's natural to seek validation. Anyone who says they don't seek it is lying. At the end of the day, all of us long to feel important, appreciated, and accepted. It's a human instinct. It doesn't make us weak, nor does it make us bothersome. It makes us human.

But, ask yourself this: If you could unplug for a week, or even a day, where would you find validation?

Beleive it or not, there are many self-care, or self-empowering, things that you can do to feel validation internally, rather than externally. This healthy, self-care perspective allows people to find validation in a healthy way. There are also external factors, besides social media, that offer healthy validation as well.

So, if you were unplugged from social media, here are 22 ways you could undoubtedly feel healthy validation: