I quit Instagram for a while.
Surprise, surprise! As someone who loves sharing everything, this was a tough choice. I love snapping photos and videos to post on Instagram. I always feel satisfied when I have at least one story up. I'm sure I'm not the only one who gets this.
The reason I quit Instagram is because it was affecting my mental health a lot. I always felt anxious, insecure, and like I was missing out when I was on the app. It was also hurting my productivity, so I had to step back.
When I decided to take a break, my brain went a little crazy. I quickly realized how often I look at my phone just to see if I have a notification or to scroll through my feed. Morning, on the way to work, (sometimes at work, oops), before bed - it was non-stop.
I'm hoping that by going Instagram-less, my mind will be less scattered. My mental health will be better, and I'll be more productive and focused without constantly checking my phone.
It’s been 5 weeks since I quit Instagram. Here’s how it went:
The first week was... So. Freaking. Hard. I have long workdays, and during my lunch hour, I usually catch up on things—mostly by watching everyone's IG stories. It's so addictive. Ever since going Instagram-free, I had nothing to distract myself with. It's not that I don't have other social media apps; I just love Instagram more. Even when I didn't feel like posting, I had this urge to open the app.
The second week wasn't any better. I constantly felt the need to check my Instagram, but it wasn't there.
By the third week, I knew I had to do something about not having Instagram to keep up with everyone's lives. I started seeking real connections, enjoying the present moments, and just loving my own company. I rekindled old hobbies and picked up new ones. I discovered true crime podcasts and fell in love with having me-time every week.
By the fourth week, I was getting kind of cured of my addictive thumb swiping and phone-checking. I felt pretty good doing things without having to document them on Instagram. I didn't really miss seeing other people's posts. Sure, I was curious about what my friends and family were up to and was scared at first to take a break from Instagram, thinking I would miss out on a ton of things. It actually turned out to be A-okay. I spent more time connecting in real life, and it was awesome!
Long story short...
During this break from Instagram, I realized I wake up feeling way more rested. I spend most of my hours at work staring at a screen, so cutting down on screen time outside of my job has totally changed my world. I was able to sort out some important events in my life, like trying to drive again (still scared though). I even reorganized my bedroom and finally cleaned up my business email. Most importantly, I stopped letting Instagram feed my anxiety.
I noticed I'm way more productive when I'm not reaching for my phone every two minutes. It felt like I suddenly had extra hours in the day for exercise and reading. After everything, I reaffirmed that I'm still on an Instagram break. I feel so much better without it and I'm still happily off Instagram to this day.
For now, I'm not planning to go back on Instagram anytime soon. Still going IG-less until further notice.
Update: On February 24th 2020, I decided to make a comeback on IG. Oh my gosh, my DMs blew up with people asking where I’ve been. It's nice to be back, but honestly, nothing special. Just same old, same old.
I went ghost on Instagram for a few times for at least 2 weeks or more than that but none of my friends even notice.
ReplyDeleteBut I do feel good about it. I spent more time talking with my family, be in the moment instead taking photos for instastory all the time or trying to post everything online.
One of the best feeling in the world. I also get my reading done too instead of scrolling my timeline during my free time.
that "i dont know what to do now since i dont have instagram"struggle is real. it is an honest to god a sign of addiction. plus i realized my mind can't cater more than one social medias (i will easily feel too overwhelmed) but instagram is way too much. i could scroll it mindlessly for hours and feel that nothingness when i put it down. i hate how i keep comparing my life but still knowing people only share good stuff on instagram. it was exhaustingly contradicting. at one point, i just couldn't do it anymore and decided to uninstall it. i just install it recently to document my trip with a friend but later on feels like im quite okay not doing it. i will probably forgo it for real.
ReplyDelete// afifahaddnan
I feel so much better without IG now. And I learned that "FOMO" isn't real if you don't know what you're missing out on. I'm not feeling like I missed out on anything bcs I'm not seeing it haha
Deletedah buat challenge ni kat diri sendiri, memula memang susah tapi akhirnya berjaya juga. now tak kisah langsung apa yg ada kat sosial media, rasa hidup lebih aman..hehe
ReplyDeleteThis is so interesting. I've been thinking to stop social medias too. Since Twitter and Facebook are where I mostly get to know the current news and trends so I kinda couldn't stop that so I've been thinking to stop Instagram first. But still couldn't do it, it's so hard! Wish me luck in this social media-free struggle. Anyway, it's a good decision you made!
ReplyDeletemy time on instagram is on average of 30minutes / day. I wonder is that a good duration for a human being? or should i cut it lesser?
ReplyDeletehanisamanina.com