In the past week I have lost 10 Instagram followers. Now I know what you’re thinking: why on Earth does she care about her follower account? That’s so unhealthy! And I don’t. Truly. I was simply confused how in a matter of a few days, so many people had decided to unfollow me. Were my posts that bad?
After a bit of research, I found the culprit. Some of my followers had actually decided to temporarily disable or delete their accounts altogether, thus explaining the decrease I noticed.
If you know me, you know I am a huge advocate for taking time off of social media. I have temporarily disabled Instagram myself several times this year, and it seems like more and more people my age are starting to need a break as well. Here are my top reasons why you should delete Instagram for a month:
You have more meaningful “me time”: Instead of scrolling through meaningless slime videos or pictures of people you went to summer camp with in middle school, you could be using this time to work on, or develop, a self care routine. Whether that be reading, going for a run, talking to someone you love, or lighting a candle and doing a face mask, it’s better than wasting time on things that don’t contribute to your mental or physical health.
You could potentially lessen some anxieties: I don’t know about you, but when I am in a funk, I turn to the perfectly curated feeds of my favorite influencers and celebrities. Needless to say I get very jealous, and very worried about the state of my life. It can very taxing on your mental health to constantly be comparing your life to those of famous people, usually with tons of money and time to blow on nothing. But remember, their feeds are just feeds!! They are by no means a reflection of real life. They are struggling too.
You don’t feel pressure to be “in the know”: You have no idea how much random stuff I know about people I don’t even talk too. It’s way too much stuff. By eliminating all the excess “knowledge” that doesn’t benefit you or your life, you feel so much lighter, and give yourself the opportunity to learn things that you actually do care about or that benefit you!
You have more meaningful social interactions: This is a big one. No more scrolling through Instagram, half listening into your friend’s conversation at dinner. Deleting Instagram allows you to be more present, and I have found that it really enhances and deepens my conversations with my friends when I don’t have something to fall back on if there’s a lull in the conversation. Embrace these moments. Connect with people you love.
You’re more aware of your surroundings: I think this is something we don’t think about but it’s very important. So often when I am walking from class to the dining hall or back to my dorm, I automatically bury my head in my phone and am completely taken out of the environment I am in. Whenever I am waiting in line or in an unfamiliar place, I don’t take the time to look around me and take in my surroundings. Next time you’re in a public place or walking back to your dorm, try looking up or saying hi to the people you pass, you might notice something (or someone) you didn’t before!
Take it or leave it, but if any of the ideas on this list sound intriguing, I say go for it. Whether it’s a day, a week, a month, or permanently, you can only benefit from cutting Instagram out of your life. Also, while writing this article, I temporarily deleted my Instagram again, so join me if you want!