Life without Instagram is refreshing. Are you surprised? (probably not)
Instagram (wrongfully) deactivated my account for nearly two months. Here are my thoughts about living life without Instagram.
Why my account got deactivated
Before I begin, I know some people are wondering what I did to get my account deleted; I didn’t do anything. Instagram deactivated my account because they believed I was trying to, “impersonate” someone else, which violated their guidelines (obviously, I wasn’t trying to impersonate anyone). Someone was reporting my account.
My relationship with Instagram
Before my account got deleted, I had a pretty healthy relationship with Instagram (for the most part). I would spend no more than 45 minutes on it a day and most of the people I followed were people I was genuinely interested in seeing.
I would interact with their posts and have conversations almost daily with people that I really only talked to on Instagram. This is something I really enjoyed. Instagram is great for maintaining connections with people who you otherwise wouldn’t get the chance to talk to!
However, Instagram also had a slight chokehold on me, I would sometimes find myself feeling pressured to post. Then, when I did post, I would focus on how many likes and comments I would get; especially comments. I love when people comment on my posts, because it shows me that 1. they care enough to comment and 2. they actually enjoy what I’m posting!
The good news is that I didn’t feel this way all the time. I would usually feel this pressure when I was bored and had time to overthink every little thing.
Instagram was a great distraction for me whenever I was bored.
When my Instagram got taken down
When my Instagram got deactivated, I was confused, very upset, and convinced that I wasn’t going to get it back. The first two days, I was panicking, trying to contact Instagram and filling out forms/appeals in order to gain access to my account. When I realized that I probably wouldn’t get it back, I thought about creating a blog, because I still wanted a space where I could share my thoughts, opinions and pictures with people.
That’s when I realized that one of the main reasons why I enjoyed Instagram was because people got to see my work. I didn’t really care who saw my work, but I wanted it to be out there so that anyone could see it.
This is when I began researching how to start a blog and began creating my website. I also decided to start a YouTube channel, take an acting class, and much more.
If my Instagram didn’t get deactivated, I would be in the same position I was in two months ago (which was getting me nowhere).
How I felt without it
After not having my account for two days, I felt fine without having it. Yeah, I missed talking to some of the people I followed, but I didn’t miss seeing what anyone was posting and I really didn’t care to see; I felt free in a way.
I also felt like a ghost, which is dramatic to say, but it’s true! I just disappeared from Instagram without a word. It was impossible to find my account, because it literally didn’t exist anymore. I fell in love with this feeling. It felt refreshing to not have to think about posting or trying to stay caught up with what everyone else was doing.
My favorite thing about not having instagram was how focused I became. I thought I was focused before, but I reached a new level. Through this focus, I became completely involved in creating my blog. I spent weeks putting this site together (and it was not easy). I wanted this site to be up as soon as possible so that I could start writing and posting pictures. The fact that no one would see it didn’t even bother me. Even now, no one is going to read this post, but I know that there is a possibility that someone could find it.
As I mentioned before, not having Instagram allowed me to focus on my: youtube channel, my blog, the online acting course I bought, being more present around people and far more.
I know for a fact that if I never lost my account, I wouldn’t have started any of the above. This is because I wasn’t even thinking about it; the only thing I was thinking about was Instagram.
Overall, I didn’t miss Instagram. The only times I wished that I had it back was when I was bored and wanted to post something. It was never to see what anyone else was up to.
Time
I suddenly had SO much time on my hands, which is ironic because when I had Instagram, I would spend less than an hour on it a day. This proved to me how much it was always on my mind even when I wasn’t on it.
I spent this ‘extra’ time creating my website, studying, starting my online acting course and just completely focusing on myself with no distractions. I also started reading… a lot. At one point I finished 3 books in a week. – Sandra Brown books are amazing.
The months of April through May (and even now) have been hands down the most productive I’ve been in my entire life! Everyday I am working on my future and doing things that will pay off. I’m not wasting hours of my day mindlessly scrolling through Instagram or tiktok (I used to spend hours on tiktok, it was horrible).
Now that I have it back
It’s been 5 days since I’ve got my instagram back and I can feel myself reaching for my phone way more than when I didn’t have it (not good). I’ve already posted 3 times… which is a little excessive for me.
The first picture(s) I posted were from my trip to Italy; I wanted to show everyone how beautiful it was.
However, the next two times I posted was simply because I was bored and wanted the immediate gratification that I know Instagram would give me. That’s where it becomes an issue for me. I don’t want to post because I’m bored or I want the satisfaction of people commenting on my pictures.
Not having Instagram made me realize that I don’t need that instant gratification or even want it anymore.
I want to keep Instagram as a place where I post my modeling work and some of my personal life. I’m not the type of person who posts every detail about my life or what I’m doing at every hour during the day. I also don’t enjoy seeing when other people do that.
If I liked Instagram so much before, why did I feel way better without it?
I think the main reason why I felt so much better without Instagram was because my brain wasn’t overstimulated anymore. When I had Instagram, I was constantly thinking about what to post, when to post, who to follow, what photoshoots I should be doing, etc. Even though I hardly spent any time on Instagram, it was all I thought about.
Not having an Instagram made me realize how little I care about some of the people I was following. Yeah, I enjoyed interacting with some of them, but I simply didn’t care to see half of what they posted anymore. I would click through their stories just to get them to go away.
Likes and dislikes of Instagram
Instagram isn’t all bad. Especially if you limit the amount of time you spend on it, as well as truly enjoy seeing and interacting with the people you follow. Like most things in life, there needs to be a balance.
Likes:
- I get to see what my friends are up to (the people I don’t talk to everyday)
- Staying in touch (it’s easier to reach out to someone when you see them on Instagram)
- Meeting new people (friends, photographers, makeup artists, etc)
- Getting to show my work/some personal aspects of my life
- Meeting people with the same interests as me
- Finding inspiration for photoshoots
Some people would argue that ‘if you wouldn’t stay in touch with someone outside of Instagram, then you’re not really friends’ which is so untrue for me. Of course I have my close friends who I talk to all the time, but it’s still nice having other people to catch up with and have conversations with. Not every relationship you have with someone needs to be ‘deep’. Without Instagram, I know for a fact that there would be so many people that I would have lost contact with!
For example, during my photoshoots/fashion shows, I have made countless friends that I wouldn’t have stayed in contact with if it wasn’t for Instagram.
Dislikes:
- Placing too much value on the amount of likes/comments I get
- Feeling pressured to post something (which doesn’t happen that often anymore)
- Following people because I feel like I should or I have to rather than wanting to
- Reaching for my phone as a distraction because I’m bored
- Focusing for shorter periods of time
In all
In the end, Instagram is whatever you make it out to be. Like most things in life, too much of anything is not good for you.
Not having an Instagram was refreshing and exactly what I needed at the time. However, I’m glad to have it back! I have missed keeping up with my friends lives; I enjoy seeing what they are up to.
This break from Instagram has allowed me to be more mindful about how I spend my time on there and more conscious about what I’m thinking about throughout the day.
I’ve also been letting myself stay bored more often. This is pretty random, but instead of trying to find something to do when I’m bored, I’ll sometimes just let myself be bored for a few minutes and sit with my thoughts. I don’t always need to be doing something productive; it’s okay to take breaks!
I’m also going to start being more conscious whenever I post. I’ll ask myself why do I want to post this? Is it because I want gratification? Validation? Am I just bored? Or do I genuinely want to post.
Since having my account back, I have unfollowed so many people who I don’t enjoy seeing on my feed anymore. This has helped me avoid mindlessly scrolling, because now my Instagram is only filled with people I enjoy seeing. Honestly, there are a few people who I should still unfollow… I’m working on it.
How I use Instagram to maintain a healthy balance
Two years ago I would spend so much time scrolling through Instagram for no reason. So I decided to lock my apps from 9am-2pm. I’ve been doing this for over a year now and it has helped to significantly reduce the time I spend on Instagram. Now, instead of reaching for my phone when I’m bored, I read, work on my blog, or do something more productive (or I’ll sit down with my thoughts like I mentioned above). On top of that, I also don’t spend more than 45 minutes on Instagram a day. This is something that I used to keep track of, but I’m at the point where it comes naturally now!
This post was all about how my life was without Instagram + some things I’ve learned
Leave a comment below and share your thoughts about Instagram!