This past summer, I worked a full time job for the first time in my life. Aside from my tired ankles from standing the entire duration of my six to ten hour shifts, I realized my downtime became more about myself instead of opting to hang out with friends or family. I quickly became absorbed in Instagram culture, and realized I barely knew myself anymore when I was compulsively checking the likes I would receive on a picture and comparing them to the other photos I had posted. I didn’t like this obsessive side of me, and one night I realized I needed to make a change.
A month ago, I deleted the Instagram app from my phone and honestly? I didn’t even miss it.
At first, of course, I would click on the empty spot in my folder of apps where the Instagram icon used to be, and would be confused when Spotify would open. It took a while for me to realize that mindlessly scrolling on Instagram for an hour was no longer an option. In this newly founded free time, I was able to spend more time doing what I love. These are the benefits that I found in quitting Instagram.
- I Noticed Myself Being a Lot Less Judgmental
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Instagram is built around a culture of feigning perfection. A lot of the time, I would see someone’s perfect life on Instagram, and judge my own by comparing it to others. Of course, I know in reality that someone’s matching feed with perfect ~summery vibe~ filters never really meant that their life was perfect, but somehow it always seemed more perfect than mine. Being able to take a mental break from taking that all in allowed me to be more grateful for the things in my life, and revel in the simple beauties I could experience in life every day, even if that was just taking a minute to appreciate my cat taking a nap in my lap, or the way that little sentence rhymes!
- I Had More Time For The Things That I Love to Do
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Instead of lazing around on the couch, comparing my life to others by scrolling through Instagram, I now had time to get up and do the things I wanted to do. In the mornings, I was notorious for dropping my younger brother off at school, and sitting around on my phone instead of making my mornings productive. This quickly changed when I no longer had an app I could just sit down and stare at for hours on end. Instead, I would opt for a quick run, or grab breakfast with someone that I may not have otherwise seen. Being around people and doing the things that I love helped me to boost my mood and let me recognize how simple being happy can actually be.
- I Could Make My “Me Time” Really About Me
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Before bed every night pre-Instagram cleanse, I would scroll for a little while. Instead of doing that, I was able to spend time on my skincare routine or reading something before bed that would enrich my life. This gave me more time to focus on myself, so that during the day I recognized myself being more selfless and less self-centered.
In summary, my Instagram cleanse gave me some pretty good insights on my life and where I was personally lacking in terms of taking care of myself and the comparisons I was drawing that were completely unfair and gave me unrealistic expectations. In sum, I would recommend an Instagram cleanse for anyone who may feel as though they need to disconnect from the constant flow of information and focus on their own goals and expectations. Surely, there will be a learning curve and you may even accidentally open your Spotify app like me, but eventually the benefits will soak in!