I remember when I was first allowed to make an Instagram account when I turned sixteen. I was so excited since all of my friends already had Instagram accounts, and I couldn't wait to share my life through pictures. At first, I didn't really put much thought into how I edited my photos or how I captioned them. I just posted my pictures and I enjoyed seeing what my friends were up to. It was a great way to stay in contact with friends I hadn't seen in years, and family who lived halfway across the world.

Pretty soon, Instagram began to take over my life. It was the first thing I checked on my phone when I woke up, and the last thing I saw before I went to bed at night. I would be scrolling through my feed when I should have been studying or to avoid awkward interactions. At first, I looked to Instagram for inspiration, but then I started worrying if my pictures were good enough. I would spend hours to edit my photos in order to get them to look exactly the way I wanted to, and I would spend days trying to come up with the perfect caption.

Not only did I obsess over the way I wanted to present myself on Instagram, but I started to compare myself to other girls I would see on my feed.

I didn't look like them or dress like them, and as a result, I starting having the mindset that I wasn't good enough and that I wasn't beautiful like everyone else. My self-confidence started rapidly declining, and my anxiety increased.

I was always so nervous and anxious when I had to attend various different social events with large groups of people because I was so self-conscious. The old me that was so confident with herself and her appearance had disappeared, and I desperately wanted her back.

A little while ago, I made the decision to take a break from social media. It definitely has its benefits, but lately, for me its been doing more harm than good. There might be some time in the future when I'll be able to return to Instagram, but for now, I know I need to focus on myself and grow as an individual.