Something I've really been struggling lately is the effect that social media has on the way I feel about myself and my future.

I spend every day trying my best to better myself. I'm studying, learning new skills, applying for things, and trying to create a life that's better for me, given the challenges with my health and education. It's often a slow process, and I find that many days feel like a battle.

But then I go onto social media and see these young people who seemingly have it all together-traveling the world, making tons of money off businesses they started overnight, buying expensive things, and living a picture-perfect life.

After constantly scrolling through these videos, I sometimes begin to feel like I am doing something wrong:

Am I on the right path? Am I going too slow? Am I wasting my time?

The key with social media, is repetition. The more that we are constantly seeing a certain type of message, the more we begin to incorporate it into our thoughts. We start to believe that people should succeed at things quickly, and that everyone else has it better than we do, but the thing that social media can’t do well is show you the whole picture-the failures, the sacrifices, and the struggles and wondering how it is tho.

I often find myself wondering what life was like before social media for my parents' generation. It's so easy to get caught up comparing yourself to hundreds, if not thousands of others. What's amazing is that they could just live their lives and enjoy experiences without constantly feeling like they were competing with other people who posted about it on snapchat, instagram, or any of the other numerous applications that allow you to post and categorize practically every moment of your life. Although social media does offer connections, learning opportunities, and pathways to a greater good, it can easily become a culture that requires constant comparison.

For me, as a chronically ill individual, I know that not everyone lives life at the same pace. Some of us are fighting battles that you can't see on a screen and sometimes just getting through the day is an accomplishment in itself.

I've learned that comparing my progress to someone else's curated online life only takes away from the joy that I should be taking in my own progress. The only person you should ever compare yourself to is you from yesterday. Growth doesn't always need to look like an over-night success. Growth looks like staying on task when you'd rather not be, applying for opportunities that you might not be hired for, working to recover from a relapse, and constantly pushing forward.

The positive of social media is inspiring, and the negative is making me lose sight of the fact that I have come this far. I feel that more open and honest conversations need to be had about what the culture of comparison is doing to people’s mental health because, no matter how perfect someone's online profile might seem, everyone has something going on.

My idea of success no longer revolves around keeping up with others. It's about continuing to learn and grow, and to build a life that is meaningful for myself.