So if you are anything like me, you’re on social media a lot. When you’re waiting for class to start, standing in line in the grocery store, or when you’re procrastinating on homework, you scroll through Facebook and Instagram and Snapchat to see what your friends are up to, or to see something funny.

But there are downsides to thumbing through the screens. Sometimes you get down on yourself because it seems like everyone else is having such a fantastic time. They’re going on wild adventures, school is easy, they’re happy and in shape and everything is perfect in their lives.

And your life doesn't look like that.

You have no money to go on any adventures wilder than the coffee shop down the street. You’re drowning in school work and wondering what the benefits of being a trophy wife are (jk, but we all have those moments, I’m sure). There’s so much going on in your life, and you’re not happy with how you look, but it seems like you don’t have time for much except work and homework, let alone exercise. So now you feel jealous and sad and lame that your life isn’t that glamourous.

But.

We have to remember that this is social media is all filtered. Think about it. You can edit, crop, change, and filter anything you want. You can portray your life in any way you please. And there is nothing wrong with any of that, I do it too. It’s fun, actually, let’s be real.

But if we copy and paste and crop and filter everything, then from the outside looking in, other people’s lives look perfect. And then ours do not seem perfect and we forget people’s lives as portrayed on social media are filtered, almost fake in a way. We forget that much of what we see is exactly what others want us to see.

What I’m trying to say is this: we all have to remember that our friends’ lives probably don’t actually look like what they’re posting on social media. They want to show the best part of their lives, so of course that’s going to be the vast majority, or perhaps all, of what they post. But we have to remember that everyone has their bad days, or weeks, or months, or even years (little bit of Friends there <3), but they’re not going to post on Insta about it.

We have to remember all the great things we have done in our own lives. I know that can be hard, but it’s true. Remember when you got that awesome test on an exam or paper you worked really hard on? What about that time you hiked up a mountain with your best friend and then ate pizza and ice cream all night and gossiped and watched chick flicks? Remember when you tried something new and had a blast, regardless of the fact of if you were good at it? I could go on and on, but do you see what I mean? We all have those adventures, those exciting days, whether its a semester abroad or a trip to the ice cream store, or wandering around an old city or wearing those wicked heels that make your legs look awesome.

So post away, my friends. But don’t get too caught up in other people’s posts that you lose sight your wonderful life. :)