I Deleted Instagram and It Was the Best Thing I Did – 5 Reasons Why

The lockdown is in place, as we all know. Living it can be challenging. But for me, it is giving me a chance to slow down. I don’t know how this happened, but as a blessing in disguise, just a week before the lockdown I randomly deleted Instagram. So I have no social media (I have no Snapchat or Twitter, and I don’t use Facebook), and I am stuck at home. 

Now this might be the best time this could have happened – although many times I do wonder if I am missing out on the opportunity of growing my Instagram following while more people are bored and scrolling. Still, there have been some huge benefits from being off of Instagram which I want to share. 

5. Less Comparison, More Self-Esteem

Every time I opened Instagram, I was constantly comparing myself to others. It was exhausting. This included other content creators, random strangers, artists, musicians, everyone. People older than me, younger than me, in different continents than me, choosing different lives than me. It was ridiculous. I was comparing social lives, creativity levels, freedom, clothes, talent, beauty, personal lives, number of likes and follows, EVERYTHING. 

And you might think you are better than that, or more secure than that. The reality is, you probably aren’t (I’m sorry). We humans don’t realize what our brain is doing to us. Even if you aren’t consciously comparing yourself, images and feelings associated with certain subjects and people will seep into your subconscious without you realizing. You will be chipping away at your self-esteem without you having any idea that you are holding the axe.

Read this great article on raising your self-esteem by SoulScaping.

4. Deleted Instagram, Deleted Anxiety

I used to pick up my phone every few minutes. Every single moment of downtime, I would pick up my phone and get immersed for a minimum of 20 minutes as I checked Instagram, looked through stories, and scrolled through feeds. 

This not only wasted my time, it made me so anxious! I never switched off. When I sat in the car, I picked up my phone. When I ate dinner, I checked it. And if we are honest, we all do this. When we are waiting in line, when we are socializing, when we are eating, even when we are watching TV. ON, On, on = ANXIETY. I gave no break to my brain, and constantly bombarded it with information (especially information that made me feel terrible about myself!) 

3. More Productivity  

There are two huge other ways the app stole from my life before I deleted Instagram. Now, put on your glasses, pause your music, and read carefully, because these might confuse you. 

I was wasting time I could be productive. But also, I had no time to be unproductive

Now read that carefully. Let’s start with the first sentence.

Getting More Done

Without Instagram, I don’t have much random stuff to pass time on my phone with. So when I am done with one task or activity, I don’t automatically pick up my phone, and end up wasting 20 minutes and my precious mental energy. I think about something else I want to do. More often than not, I will tackle another task. And that makes me more productive. 

2. More Room for Unproductivity  

But at the same time, every time I was “bored” I would open Instagram. I was always doing something, but never doing anything real. I didn’t have the motivation to read, because reading was not really productive. And if I wasn’t doing something productive, why would I put down my phone? But, there are so many times we don’t WANT to be productive. So basically, my day looked like this: Wake up, coffee, Phone phone phone, work, phone, workout, phone phone phone, Netflix, Sleep. I was not doing anything that was not productive except being on Instagram.

But then I deleted Instagram. Now, instead of picking up my phone to “pass time” or as a reward for when I am done with a task, I do something else. 

Now, I have time and more motivation to start doing things that make me happy. Even if it is scribbling on a random pad, doodling shit, that I know looks like crap. I don’t care. Because I have time to waste. And why do I have time? Because I am not glued to the phone. I am okay with doing random shit that has zero productive value, but is just FUN. 

1. More Emotional and Mental Energy

Without the constant comparison, the anxiety, and the stress that Instagram caused by eating up all my time, I have so much more emotional and mental energy. “To do what?”, you may ask.

To that, my dear crazed 21st century dopamine addicts, to create, write, draw, read, dance, walk, stare at the sky, play with my puppy, or talk to someone I like. To discover, get bored, get irritated, or be happy. Whatever it is. 

Conclusion

Getting off of Instagram might have been one of the best things I did during the lockdown. And if I was on it, I would have been caught up in doing silly challenges, and really, wasting the precious extra time that the lockdown has gifted to all of us, that so many people might waste spent on social media. But, with no Instagram, I have me, to focus on what is actually important, not on what others are doing or how they are better than me.