FOMO… a problem that spared most of our parents and grandparents, an issue that can’t be combatted with a vaccine or by taking your vitamins regularly. A “syndrome” of sorts sweeping our world and affecting almost all social media users. What is FOMO, you may ask? FOMO stands for "Fear of Missing Out." Was my description a little dramatic? Probably, but nevertheless, it is a problem we never thought we’d have to deal with. It’s that icky feeling you get when you see that awesome vacation your friend is on while you’re stuck in the blistering Minnesota winter, the self-contemplation that is brought on by seeing that really cool birthday party with themed decorations your mom-friend threw her child, and the jealousy you feel when you see the luxury brunch complete with a flower garnish your coworker is eating while you sip your cheap coffee and try to enjoy your Special-K cereal.

Don’t worry, it’s completely normal. It’s human nature to compare ourselves to others and often times doing so leaves us feeling insecure, unhappy, and well like we’re missing out.

I know, I know, you’ve heard it before. We, as social media users and internet surfers, are constantly reminded not to believe everything we see online, not take social media profiles too seriously, and to remember that people truly do only share the best five percent of their lives on their Facebook page, but hey, a picture is worth a thousand words and it’s really hard to ignore them when they’re words like “fun” and “happy” and you know, “week long cruise in The Caribbean”. I am definitely guilty of being on both sides of this issue.

But, I feel like I truly have a great example to demonstrate this idea that things are not always as they seem.

Picture it, five tan teenage girls on a cute sandy beach. They’re wearing their expensive Victoria’s Secret swimsuits and fun colored sunglasses. The water is deep blue, the sky is bright and it appears to be the perfect beach day shared between the best of friends. What fun! Anyone who sees this picture is sure to feel the happiness and fun being had.

Well that pictures exists. I know because I’m in it. My four closest friends and I went on a summer road trip in high school and this picture was taken on that trip.

The truth behind it? Well, the event photographed was the exact opposite of how the picture appeared. Before going to the beach, all five of us girls had been bickering with one another and the mood was definitely hostile between us. Passing showers had basically ruined the entire day and due to the cold temperature, we only spent a total of about seven minutes at the beach, three of which were used to take the picture, having to nag a woman walking past with her dog to take it for us because the beach was completely empty due to the bad weather and freezing water temperatures. Being teenage girls, we were all also extremely insecure and unhappy with the way we looked in our swim suits and were attempting to stand at the perfect angle and suck in just enough to appear confident.

As horrible of a time that we may have been having, we believed the only way to salvage our “beach day” was to make it appear as if it was perfect. The satisfaction from fooling everyone might at least give us a bit of happiness, right? Only five of us would really ever know the truth, besides the poor woman who was asked to take the picture. So, we filtered, hashtagged and posted. We made everyone think we were having the perfect day.

So what, you may ask, is the take away from this? I promise that I have a point other than confessing the invalidity of one of my Instagram posts to the whole world.

My Instagram doesn’t tell my whole story. I didn’t post a selfie after the 12-hour day I had at work that left me in tears due to fatigue and stress, nor a picture of myself having the horrible anxiety attack I had last week, nor of the Saturday night I spent at home covered in popcorn binge watching Lifetime movies rather than being out with my friends, and I definitely chose to post the picture of my nephew smiling at the camera rather than the other 99 of him hitting me, spitting up on me, and crying. But online? I show only my party pictures, cute photos of myself in my favorite outfit, and pictures of my awesome family. We filter our lives and then present it to the world, which can be difficult when that’s the only thing others see. To deduct your idea of someone’s entire life based on the images they selectively choose to post is both untruthful and unfair and to question your own life and happiness based on these posts is just silly.

So please, promise me that next time you are on break at work or home on a Saturday night scrolling through your social media feed and feeling unsatisfied with yourself, remember my “beach day."