Ah, another 90 degree afternoon, star-fished across the bed skimming through posts about trips to far off places, outings with friends and everything else wonderful I'm not participating in. It seems like every single other person is happy living their life and immersing themselves in fun experiences. Then here I am, chilling out, looking over social media content. It seems like the world is cruisin' on the party bus, so why aren't I? Am I the only person doing absolutely nothing?

Yes, I will admit I am a bit jealous of my friends getting to do all of these cool things. They're hanging out with friends and partying while I definitely haven't moved in three weeks. I don't enjoy socializing much to begin with, but why do all these posts make me feel super inadequate? Am I missing out on the stuff everyone else is in on? The most interesting thing I've done in 48 hours is drive to get post-its and all it seems I've done this summer is log on to Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Those popular and very copyrighted sites that I'm just using as references.

Since summer includes being less busy, that means more time to think about everything! Which leads to overthinking! When there's homework to be done, papers to finish and laundry to dry, thoughts of, "I should be doing that," sit in the back of the mind with little reminders every four seconds about how much procrastination is going down. Take those pestering chores away, all that is left is those posts. That's when biased "reality" sinks in and starts to whisper words of self-doubt. I should be out like everyone else without cares in the world. No one else is lonely.

One of the most important things to remember about social media is that it isn't reflective of someone's entire life story, which is often forgotten. Articles have been written about depression caused by social media, in particular Facebook, by Huffington Post, Forbes and even Psychology Today! And it comes because every single friend seems to be living it up in El Dorado this summer break.

Throughout human life there is loneliness and pain and weakness. So often those parts of human life are omitted from being posted online because they are viewed as "weaknesses." Social media is used to show others the best, because we care about those perceptions of people who we deem important.

But, in reality, nothing is wrong with being a summertime slug. Summer break is an important time to unwind from mountains of school and work stress. Introverts love that sort of thing. And the extroverts? They go out and find something to partake in so they don't feel cooped up.

All of that being said, there isn't anything wrong with sharing your successes and ventures with others either! It isn't a crime to want to share the cool things in your life! It's one of the best parts about social media. You don't have to feel like you're bragging for wanting to share experiences with friends. Back in the day, it was just called "catching up over coffee." It was fun to share stories slowly, reaching out to one person at a time. It isn't that friends are against seeing successes. The problem lies in seeing so much of other's greatness every day, it can get to be a bit overwhelming. It's the unintended consequence of social media.

There's nothing is wrong with posting great, shareable moments. Keep at it! Be positive! Spread awesomeness!

And just remember, read all of those glittery posts with a heaping spoon full of salt. Social media doesn't show every aspect of life. There are many thoughts and feelings that aren't shared online. Someone's page is a roller coaster with only "ups" designed by the person riding it. But in reality there is so much more beyond the screen. Don't worry, each human on Earth is just stumbling through day after day, even if it doesn't seem that way on a news feed.