The side effects of taking time off Instagram

My “break up” with Instagram + the effects of quitting Instagram

I remember vividly, the day I admitted my fight and battle against my crippling depression on Instagram. A relapse, a series of depression stemming from my unhealed past fights. I was anxious and afraid to let anybody know about my depression, yet I felt safe whispering these secrets on my page of a thousand followers.

In an overwhelming response of warmth + positive messages, I felt loved and cared. That is when I felt that I needed to take some time off Instagram. To fix myself so I can come back as a whole person— not half, not hollow, not broken.

Instagram will always be a safe space for my tattered soul.

My life revolved around Instagram a little too much— it was all about the community + creative energy in that one little app that keeps me coming back for more. It was a safe space for me. With my raging emotions and sunken soul, I didn’t want to taint my safe-space.

I left a well-thought-out message for everyone, announcing my "break up" with Instagram— until I am ready to be back. Once again, I was greeted with so much love and concern. All these little support from strangers in the community is what keeps me going.

Over the days of going Instagram-less, I worked on fixing my mental health. I used to scroll on Instagram mindlessly for hours a day, sometimes just looking at my own posts just to feel better about my own "worth".

What the hell, Melody.

Not only I am battling my depression relapses, I realized that my safe-space was actually instigating my anxiety. I was obsessed with my interactions on Instagram.

Why do people not comment on my posts?

I think my photos look nice, how do I not get more than 500 likes?

What is wrong with my posts?

Have I fallen off the Instagram algorithm?

These are my usual thoughts when I was obsessed with Instagram. There's so much negativity in these thoughts that it strips away my creativity, prompting me to only work on posts that will please my followers— not myself.

I should be creating for myself.

 

The side effects of taking time off Instagram

Instagram seems to have taken our “break up” pretty badly, now that I have returned. Returning favors to me in bad reaches + horrible algorithms. These little things used to pester me back then, but now I am at peace. Seeing the number of “likes” on my posts no longer threaten me nor throw me into an anxiety-inducing moment.

1. Staying creative without Instagram

While I stayed away from my one and only safe-space, I lost my creative outlet. I used to limit myself that creativity comes from taking photos + editing + posting on my Instagram. And even so, it should only be related to my niche. So when I “broke up” with Instagram, I thought I lost my creativity outlet.

But in reality, there are plenty of ways to stay creative. I found other ways to cope with my creativity— writing. Pen and paper go a long way in crafting magic.

2. Stop minding about “likes”

I used to get so riled up seeing that the “likes” on my posts have dropped a significant amount. From 400 to 380 and I’d be screaming + blaming Instagram’s algorithm. It was a nightmare as I struggled to see what I’ve done wrong for my posts to not reach a similar amount of “likes” as the others.

I did nothing wrong— now I find that “likes” are nothing. I had to remind myself that Instagram is a safe + creative space for me to explore, not for the “likes” to dictate my mood.

3. Exploring other creative spaces

The reason why I took a break from Instagram was to heal my mind + soul. While being on a “break”, the time I have in my hands allows me to explore more outlets to collect my broken pieces. I’m not tied to only one place, but my creative space can be in other forms. It’s inspiring in the least, to say that I did a lot of thinking and started writing— I found my love for writing once again. Now I can be creative in both my blog + Instagram.

4. Mentally better than ever

On my journey in piecing myself together, it felt amazing. With my time away from Instagram, I was very much focused on other more important things in life— spending time with my loved one and myself. I do things to make me happier. My depression relapses got lesser as days go by and within a few weeks, I was ready to take on the world again

5. Not confined to a specific niche

I used to mule over the fact that my Instagram page should only revolve around gaming/anime/manga. It’s a specific niche where I found enjoyment in sharing but as time goes on, hobbies change and people expect more. It became heavy + burdensome for me to constantly create more niche-related posts while all I ever wanted was to explore out of the confined niche. And so I did, it was a tough decision to make, but this creative + safe-space is mine, I can do as I please.

6. Bad reach + silly algorithms

And the only negative side-effect of taking time off Instagram. The algorithms have been the one thing that constantly bothers me every single time I post. Of course, with the "break" from the social app itself, I was repaid with bad reach and interactions. A whopping drop from ~300 likes to ~90 likes itself. Oh, how that frustrates me but as I've realized, I do not care anymore. I just want to create.

 

Now I am dutifully back on Instagram but not as much as before.

I couldn’t bear to go on a social media detox again. Quitting social media cold turkey especially my one and only safe haven, Instagram was unbearable. This little app can be a monstrosity of anxiety sometimes, but my “break up” with Instagram has offered me peace + additional wisdom in return.

Compartmentalizing myself to give a few hours a day, than to obsessively scrolling throughout the hours I’m awake, gives me the power to prioritize myself.

The interaction and “likes” on my page has decreased significantly since the “break up”, but I’m happier as it doesn’t bother me anymore. I’m just content to use it as a platform to explore creativity and share my magic.

Social media is addicting, we are addicted to it in one way or another— perhaps to prove our worth, find companions, or to get lost in the sea of wonder. If used well, it can fulfil your needs but if used wrongly, it could breed envy + discontentment. So use yours wisely.

Remember, always create for yourself.

To crafting more magic on social media,

Melody