My birthday was Friday, the day of fall break. I guess President Glassman must really like me if he decided to give the students a day off of classes (thanks for the present).

I went home for the little break. My parents wanted to celebrate my birthday and I wanted some home cooked food and to see my dog, so I guess it worked out.

I did not leave my house much between getting home Thursday and coming back to campus, unless it was to get coffee or go to Panera (something I miss while being in Charleston).

While I was at home, I saw people going to pumpkin patches (both at home and back at school), going to Fright fest at Six Flags (there’s a Six Flags in St. Louis and one near I’m from- I saw people going to both), or going places on little vacations.

I didn’t mind seeing people do the things they were doing; I’m glad they were having fun (by the looks of it anyway). At the same time though, part of me wanted to go do that stuff too.

I know, subconsciously anyway, that social media is just a highlight reel of how ‘great’ someone’s life is. In reality, we, as viewers, don’t even know if that’s true.

I’ve noticed that I’ve started feeling bad about things in my life that I can’t control. Not every one of my friends at school went home this weekend and the ones that did live almost an hour away (not their fault either), the friends from my hometown were either busy or presently live out of state and I can’t drive (so it’s not like I could take myself).

I was trying to think of ways to better my philosophy of social media in an attempt to almost “make myself feel better.” It’s more like me trying to have a better outlook on life.

Daniela Munoz, the president of LASO, when I interviewed her about a month ago, said that among other things, she doesn’t go on her phone for the first hour that she’s awake.

“I’m a big mental health advocate, so, I also believe in implementing small healthy habits around my busy schedule like doing my bed each morning and not using my phone for the first hour that I’m awake,” Munoz said. “This is to not make me feel so messy or overwhelmed with my routine. Also, making sure my agenda/calendar is always up to date is crucial.”

Aside from not being on my phone the first hour that I’m awake, I’ve decided I’m taking a social media break until the semester ends. I have a lot that I need to do and worry about anyway, so the less I’m worried about someone else’s highlight reel, the better.

See you all next year (on Instagram anyway).

Katja Benz is a senior English major. She can be reached at [email protected] or 217-581-2812.