1. The warmest season of the year, in the northern hemisphere from June to August and in the southern hemisphere from December to February.
2. That time of year when social media turns into a contest to find out who is having the most fun away from school. 

It’s a hot day in the middle of June and you’re sitting on your couch in workout clothes snacking on some chips – or maybe the whole bag. You pick up your phone to see what’s happening on Facebook or Instagram and suddenly you’re overwhelmed with things to look at. Normally, if you were bored, this wouldn’t be a bad thing at all, but this time it’s different. It seems like everyone you’ve ever known is having some great adventure or involved in an incredible internship while you’re just hanging out or working at your summer job. Suddenly, you feel as though your summer life isn’t good enough and you feel left behind.

This problem seems so specific to our generation, as we try to adjust to how easy it is to connect and share every aspect of our lives. Whether it's a party, a vacation or just an opportunity, people love to snap a picture, embellish it a little and show it to their friends. It’s such a simple process that people begin to post everything they’re doing, adding cool filters or exaggerating the story.

It’s perfectly fine to make memories and want to share (or overshare) them with the people in your life. We’re all guilty of this! The only problem with this constant sharing is when we look at the posts of others and try to compare our own lives to them. This can leave one feeling that they are missing out on all the fun and excitement. Before the social media outlets we use daily ever existed, people had fun for the sake of having a good time or to have a good story to tell. We never had to prove to ourselves or to others that we were having a good summer, but suddenly there is a certain pressure to post almost daily in order to keep up. I have a friend who is one of these daily sharers, but I heard her comment how jealous she was of how much fun it looked like her friends from school were having this summer. I laughed and reminded her that if anyone was looking at her posts on social media, it would seem like she was, too! 

When checking up on our friends over the summer break, instead of looking at their exciting adventures on social media and feeling bad about your own summer, take matters into your own hands and appreciate what you are doing! There are plenty of things to do right in your backyard, if you get creative. Grab some friends and visit a nearby town or city, look up some cool recipes or crafts to try. Don’t put the pressure on yourself to be vacationing on some exotic island when you could just be appreciating the moment wherever you are! Most importantly, have fun for yourself! Stay out of the “summer fun competition” and make memories that you will love to look back on, not simply so that you can share them with others. The Instagram likes and tan lines will fade, but the fun you have and memories you make this summer will stay with you forever.