Living in the midst of the digital age has its ups and downs. We get to be with people and connected almost immediately at the touch of our buttons. You can say hello to literally anybody. Find out any information you want and—you've heard it all before.  

About a week ago, I woke up to a very inconvenient misfortune that a lot of people are dealing with or have dealt with right now—being hacked. 

Hacked.

Now I may sound a bit dramatic, but it's been awhile since my personal accounts have been compromised. I know I was hacked because a common trend among these hackers are when they are  hacking people's Instagram accounts and changing the emails and some profiles, luckily mine was not. So that was a fun thing to wake up to. 

I've gone through all the emailing and trying to contact Instagram, and I'm sure they're aware that this is happening to a majority of users, but it seems like they just don't care unless you're a verified public figure or influenser. So my schedule has been a bit crazy dealing with moving back into school and this is the last thing I wanted to deal with. Which, I feel like is understandable. 

I have now since made a new Instagram @natrohman, not @natalierohman, because I have no access to my other account. I went through the two-factor verification process to ensure my account stays secure and I wish I could have known about that before it all happened. 

Now I have a blank account and am starting from scratch. Zero followers and all. However, since this all went down, I have not once felt the desire or urge to get back into Instagram. I've honestly enjoyed this break from it and not worrying about who has posted what. I'd say my presence on social media is very regular and going into college without that has made things a bit more free flowing. I'm not worried about who's where or doing what. Not saying I won't be on it anymore, but it has been second nature for me to be on my phone all the time. 

I have talked to some of my friends about the issue and ranted to them about losing all my "followers" and worrying about a hacker posting random things on my profile, but I've realized that it all doesn't matter.

Cue Gushiness

No matter the followers or likes you have, you cannot be defined by something as superficial as a number on your profile, salary number, price tag, scale number, or any other number. At the end of the day, I still have those relationships with people that are the most important in my life. Instagram isn't going to leave. People are going to be on it all the time and they probably won't miss me. There are so many other interesting people on Instagram (hate to break it to you).

Ten years from now, my Instagram followers won't effect the person I want to become and the things I want to do. People my age get so caught up in developing a following and creating an "image" for themselves—for other people to perceive them as.

We curate ourselves to be our best selves online.

I don't know if this hacking was really a bad thing. Besides the fact that my personal information was taken away from me, it was time for me to realize that there is so much more to life than living behind filters and screens. The moments I experience and memories I create don't always have to be shared to everybody because those are special to me. 

I don't want this post to resonate badly in regards to my views of using social media or others using it, but I also want it to be a post where you can reflect on your own usage or over usage of it. Does being on social media sites really spark joy in your life? How much do you depend on it? Does validation from your peers make you a better person or is it valued to you more introspectively?

I know I don't get many views on my blog, but that doesn't justify the work and effort I put into it. I do it for myself, as well. I try to be a better writer, content creator, and a story teller every day. However, counting our likes and followers can sway our views of ourselves and make us compare our worthiness to other people. To me, that sounds like digging yourself into a deep, dark hole. If there's anything I want you to really take away from this it is that you cannot allow others to define who you are or what you want to become.

As my sophomore year of college slowly, but surely approaches, there are a lot of choices that I have to make this coming year. As fun as my summer was, there are things that need to get done this school year and my mindset needs to focus again for awhile. 

I'll be honest, as I've said before, my blog writing has been on the back burner. However, this summer was probably one of the most productive summers of all. I was able to handle and mentally grasp travel in a whole new way, while juggling babysitting side-gigs and personal or social things in between. Blogging included. I was very lucky to have been able to travel and do so many things this summer because I am ready to buckle down into my studies again and focus on the opportunities I will have at school. 

Since I've already gotten pretty comfortable at school, I'm at that point of college where I just wanna do more things. I kind of shrugged off opportunities and clubs because I thought I couldn't handle all of it. I thought that joining a lot of commitments was going to make me a "stressed out college student," but only stressed myself out more because I wasn't doing any of those fun and immersive clubs or organizations. I did join some things, but I never felt there. 

I guess that was also from just being a freshie and not really knowing what to expect, which was fine. For most freshmen, figuring out where you wanna be takes a year or so. I'm not expert at college, but I do know that I'm ready to push myself a little more this year to make the most of it. 

Whether that be actually signing up and attending club meetings, applying for an oncampus job, thinking about studying abroad, talking to more people, taking more risks, changing my routine a little, or even my route to class. There's more I need to do and be openminded about this year. 

All of that being said, I also need to remember that it's totally okay not to do all of these things I've just listed. There are a lot of things I have yet to experience and sometimes it's best to take what comes and to not worry about what others are currently doing or will do in the future. This will be a promising year for me and I don't want to take anything for granted. 

Missouri, Minnesota, Michigan, Maryland, Iowa, Idaho, Wyoming, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee are all of the states I've visited this summer. A lot—I know. As some of my friends have said, I've caught the "travel bug".

This summer was probably the most I've ever traveled and managed to actually pay for. I do have to say, my bank account is crying just a bit, but I still have two weeks to recover and make some more money babysitting before I go back to school on September 1st. 

It has been unbelievable getting to travel and explore so much of the US and getting to see all of the people I love. I've been very lax on my blog writing, but my social media presence has shot through the roof. So yes, I do admit that I've sucked at getting posts up, but I've got a lot planned as school comes around the corner.

I've traveled so much and have honestly learned so much about what kind of traveler I am and what I need to focus on when I do travel a lot. It can feel like you're never grounded in one place and like you are all over the place. However, being with people I love and care about always makes me feel more at home. 

I had to make a choice of traveling a lot or finding a job of some sort because I knew I didn't want to sit around all summer. Don't get me wrong, traveling is hella expensive and I was lucky enough to have the savings for it all. I took a train, a plane, a car, a bus to wherever I needed to be. 

One of the things I try to remember when I'm out and about is to appreciate the time I get to spend with the people I'm with and the memories I make with them. Travelling can be stressful, overwhelming, and very unpredictable. On my trip to Washington, DC, I lost my luggage. Little things like that including plane delays, traffic, weather, and all of the inconveniences can start to add a ton of stress to a trip. Learn to adapt and be flexible to those things. 

This year was my year of traveling alone and learning how to find my own way without the guidance of my parents. It can be hard for a lot of people to be able to ask for help when they need it and I've become more comfortable talking to strangers and being alone for extended periods of time. 

I've seen so many sights and new things this summer. It makes me crave travel even more. However, nothing more than just being in the city of Chicago makes me feel at home. The best thing is that Chicago and my school are so diverse and I never feel like I can't learn about other cultures and backgrounds being at home. 

It has truly been one hell of a summer that I will remember forever. The places I've been and the people that made it even more special have opened my eyes to travel in a totally different and liberating way. I feel secure when I travel and also get a sense of adrenaline not knowing what's in store for me at my destination.