Our generation is so in love with their phones, it's consuming our lives and affecting the way we act. People are afraid to go out into the real world and show people who they really are. The definition of what a person should "look like" has been narrowed down so much that if you don't look like the skinny, "perfect" people on social media, then, by our societies standards, you're not "good enough." We have become so consumed with our phones that we sometimes miss what's going on around us. We judge other people on what their Instagram page looks like and if they have a lot of followers or pictures. This kind of mindset is toxic and we all need to take a break from social media and realize what is around us and start to appreciate all we have in life.

I can speak for myself and many others that taking a break from all social media is one of the most rewarding and cleansing things you can do for yourself. I recently took a trip to Aruba and, for the entire week, I had my phone in airplane mode and deleted all of my social media apps. I not only was able to take in all of the wonderful views of Aruba, but I was also able to relax, gain confidence and not worry about what other people were doing. I didn't have to prove to people that I was in Aruba and I didn't have to post cute pictures every day to let people know that I was "#thriving."

Too many times I have spent hours on social media looking at other people's pages and the pictures they post, wondering why they look like they are having more fun than I am at a college or why they look better in a bathing suit than I do. I look at all the friends they have and all of the parties they go to and I wonder if I am having "enough" fun at college. We spend too much time worrying about what people think of us and what they think when they look at our Instagram pages.

It's time that we all take a break from social media and not think about what other people are doing or thinking about how many followers they have. My advice to you is to delete all your social media for just one week and see what happens, I know it may seem like a really long time but you can make it through. I guarantee you will feel refreshed and confident after that week is up. After that, try and limit yourself to a certain amount of hours you spend on social media in a day and see how it affects your life.