Ah, Instagram. Everyone’s favorite social media app for editing photos, fun filters, food shots, workout inspiration and much more. I, like many of you, have my own Instagram that I fill with good hair day selfies, group pictures, and fun videos. I am not denying the entertainment Instagram brings us, nor am I pretending I’m also not addicted to it, but Instagram can have some drawbacks.

Instagram is addicting.

Instagram is fun! A peak into your friends’ lives? Celebrities’ lives? People you do not even know but want to be friends with and their lives? It feels secretive to see a piece of them and their daily activities. It almost feels like they’re letting you into their lifestyle. But it’s so easy for people to fall prey to the dangers of comparing yourself to these people you scroll past on Instagram. “They are so much more fit than me, they are so much craftier than me, they have so much more fun than me.” These thoughts can seem almost impossible to prevent when you’re casually scrolling past beautiful people.

But remember, Instagram can be a little fake.

When you post something on Instagram, what goes through your head? It almost always goes back to how you want other people to see you. This is not a bad thing! But it is something everyone has in common. Instagram is so fun because it is a platform that allows us to control how we express ourselves. So why wouldn’t we want to express ourselves in the best way possible? But the danger in this is that you feel a pressure to portray yourself perfectly. It’s hard not to turn to the help of filters, additional editing, or rehearsed poses in your Instagram photos. When you look at a stranger’s beautiful swimsuit shot, you don’t think about how many pictures she might have taken before she got to that perfect one and you don’t know what further editing she put into the photo to make it perfect. All you see is a beautiful, fit girl posing in an exotic location.

Insecurity and Instagram.

When you feel pretty, or you are proud of a meal you made, or your friends and you look good on a night out, why wouldn’t you want to show that off? But what is important to keep in mind is that your life is much more than what you put on your social platform. You are not defined by the number of followers you have or the number of likes you get. You are not confined by Instagram to show off the life you have. The strangers analyzing your Instagram feed do not know what your laugh sounds like, your dreams and goals in life, what you have been through, or who you are when the camera isn’t on you. You are much more than those photos, and so is everyone else!

As long as you are happy-physically, mentally, and socially...nothing else matters. When it comes to Instagram, just remember to like yourself first-pun intended.