How to stay sane on Instagram

If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you know that I’m spending quite some time there. Well, the time I’m spending using this app now is mostly quality time when I actually feel inspired by other people’s photos and feel like sharing something and not because I think “I have to post” every day. In this blog post I’ll try to share my experience on how to stay sane on Instagram.

I see more and more people complaining about all sorts of things on Instagram. I know some of them who actually deleted the app and never used it again. Then I was wondering why if they’ve put so much work into something, but I can say I totally understand them. Instagram made them feel less worthy!

Let’s say you told a friend who’s not using Instagram – “Instagram makes me feel bad” (ugly, not worthy enough, depressed, you name it!). Your friend would ask you “Why?”. Your answer would then be a long story trying to explain to someone who has no clue how Instagram works why you feel that way. So, let’s say we all know the answer to that question and let’s see how to stay sane on Instagram. 

1. Don’t compare yourself to others!

The first thing (and the most mentioned one) is comparison. You are comparing yourself to others. I’ve read this so many times – “Instagram is not real life”. Well, it is a part of real life even though you know most of those gorgeous photos are staged. Comparing yourself to others especially as a teenager is quite a heavy subject. It can seriously influence someone’s mental wellbeing. I know that young girls compare themselves to those perfect women and their perfect lives and airy photos. They’re always smiling, have a handsome boyfriend/husband and that cute puppy they often carry with them everywhere.

I hope those young girls who are finding idols on Instagram will come to a point where they’ll realize that those Insta photos they see are not perfect. Maybe the boyfriend is hot but they just keep the relationship going for fans (it happens), maybe she’s only smiling in front of the camera… And maybe their lives actually ARE perfect. But that still doesn’t mean you should want someone else’s life instead of yours. We can’t judge someone and their life by the photos they post. 

As someone who’s closer to 40 than 30, I’m not comparing myself to something or someone a teenager would compare herself to. I’ve never compared my life to someone else’s. But as someone who has a travel and lifestyle account on Instagram I found myself comparing my photos to other people’s shots from the same place for example. I was looking at the light, the colors, saturation, the angle from where the shot was taken. Then I wondered how come someone’s photo got more engagement than mine when they’re practically the same.

This was the worst! I realized how funny I was. It doesn’t matter how beautiful your photo is, how professional it looks, how much you tried to capture that golden hour moment. If you’re active on Instagram you know that Instagram favors some photos over the others. It’s the Instagram algorithm and I won’t get into that since we’re here to see how to stay sane on Instagram.

The point of all this is – comparison will get you nowhere! It will just make you feel bad. Since you don’t want that do the simplest thing you can – DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS! We are all different!

2. Unfollow / Mute people who annoy you!

The second thing you might find annoying (I know I do) is when you can see through the fake. Let’s say you’re having a morning coffee and you open Instagram to go through your favorite accounts and then you find this caption – “This is the real me! I will always be raw and honest with my followers.”. And then you see the photo that clearly took at least half an hour of “natural” looking hair and makeup and “only” two editing apps. This is just an example (which I’ve seen!) but NO!

This is a big NO and my suggestion is – if you don’t want to get irritated first thing in the morning just unfollow people like this. If they happen to be your close friend, a neighbour or your aunt (I hope not) and you think it would be rude to unfollow them, there’s a mute button that will solve a lot of your problems on Instagram. 

Another example of annoying people is those who are posting the same photo three times in a couple of hours claiming that it didn’t reach enough people. I’m sorry but that’s very disrespectful of you and I’ll tell you why. Those 540 people who liked your photo are not enough and you’re now looking for a number of 1040. If you didn’t get it you are looking at people who liked that photo simply in a form of number. So, my name is Ana and I’m number 342 of your 540 likes. If I see your photo popping up in my feed for the third time, you can forget about that one like from me. Also, you can expect me to unfollow you or mute your posts. Don’t take your followers for fools or simply numbers cos whatever you’re trying to achieve with your Instagram account won’t work that way. 

I find this to be a good tip on how to stay sane on Instagram.

3. Turn off notifications

You don’t have to present all the time on Instagram (believe me)! So, turn off your notifications and have a quiet, relaxing time with your family and friends. Go out for a walk, a coffee date, see a movie, read a book. All those things will make you feel better than staying on Instagram, comparing yourself to others, analyzing and doing nothing productive actually.

Apps like Instagram are made to be addictive. Therefore, by turning off your notifications you won’t spend that much time on it. If you feel like you’re spending too much time using your phone, turn off your wifi and cellular data or set a time (let’s say two hours a day) that is meant for your social networks and then simply disconnect. 

4. Don’t feel pressure to post when you don’t feel like it

I’ve been there! It’s one of the most stupid things to feel pressure about. I found myself several times enjoying my time with my husband or my friends and suddenly remembered – “Oh, now is a good time to post”. It’s completely crazy!

Instagram is not my job, so I don’t really need to be on it unless I feel like it. If you think people will unfollow you because you didn’t post for five days, well – let them unfollow you, it’s totally fine!

I’m not saying this for people who are earning money through Instagram collaborations, ads and all sorts of stuff. In that case, IT IS their job (or at least a part of their income). They know how to handle it. If you’re trying to make this platform something you want to earn money from in the future you still don’t have to feel the pressure to post every day. 

5. Take a break

If you’re feeling tired and not inspired while on Instagram, take a break! Take as much time you need until you feel happy with it again. If it never happens, delete the app! Yes, it’s that simple! Don’t take a break (or digital detox as they call it) just to find yourself back on Instagram in two days time writing “Oh, I took a break from Instagram and it feels so refreshing!”. Don’t do it for the audience, do it for yourself. It’s all about YOU!

If you have any tips on how to stay sane on Instagram share them in the comments! If this blog post helps just one person I’ll feel happy too! 

Thank you for reading. If you have any questions or comments you can always contact me!