Instagram Detoxing- Is it worth it?

 As cliche as it might seem, I'm doing the whole "New year, New Me", the whole New Year's resolutions list.... just like every other year. Unlike every other year, my New Year's resolution this year is made up relatively impromptu, on the last day on 2023, when I felt motivated by the release of the built-up negativity of the entire year and the hope of a fresh start in the new year. 

For some context, I've recently broken up and am now peacefully single. I've just realised how much I was consumed in my relationship time-wise and how much free time I actually have in my life without the presence of a significant other to invest time in. For the start of my single-ness, the easiest and most effortless way to deal with all the free time was to reinstall TikTok (the love-hate relationship I have with this app is insane) and spend my hours scrolling through videos ranging from "emo, heartbreak quotes" to "sprinkle sprinkle, dark feminine energy advice" topics. 

I also contribute my increased screen time to detailed stalking of a specific few profiles on Instagram and mope around feeling sorry for myself because it seems they all live a better life than what I currently have. 

To be honest, I only had one new year resolution in mind: to invest more time in myself and get into hobbies (either existing or exploring new ones). The problem quickly arise when I realised that it's hard to sit down without my phone and immerse myself in something that requires my undivided attention. I've been so used to reaching out for my phone for distraction and posting stories about my life for external validation.

I've deactivated my Instagram accounts numerous times for various reasons such as focusing on my studies etc, but after graduation, the sole reason why I'll be prompted to deactivate my Instagram would be to stop procrastinating and to stop comparing my life to my peers. Another cliche statement incoming, but what better way to start the new year than to deactivate Instagram and live life off the grid a little? 

Some reasons to also deactivate your Instagram (a good sign if you're already reading this in the first place):

1. No more obsessive stalking like Joe Goldberg

Maybe it's just me, but I obsessively stalk over a pool of girls that I'm envious of periodically (e.g: every few days).  Half the time, they're micro-influencers that I know of personally, with public accounts of upwards of 1000+ followers but I don't actually follow because we're not THAT close. This is one reason why I'll never ever make my account public, as I know the amount of people that are going to lurk without ever interacting with you, and the risk of potential evil eyes. 

You'll be surprised how much time I actually spend analysing their highlights and posts (one stalking session lasted up to almost 30 minutes I swear to God). I think I probably spent an hour a day total once I start my stalking session, an hour that could be used for something more productive like reading or recording a podcast episode). 

2. Appreciation of your own life :) (I think I like this little lifeeeeee~ iykyk)

As aforementioned in point one, I know enough not to be envious of these girls' beauty, wealth(y boyfriends/family) and lifestyle as what others have is not an indication of what I lack. However, there's times where I look at their pictures and lament about my own life and the way I'm not as wealthy as them to be able to afford branded bags and living abroad in Paris, London etc. 

I was in Taiwan for a trip for about a week and throughout that period, I was surviving without any roaming data and could only rely on the free WiFi provided by the hotel when we come back at night from a day's worth of sightseeing. Without being connected to the Internet for 90% of my day, my favourite apps to use is Spotify and Notes. That week taught me that the absence of social media made me immensely more grateful for the life that I'm currently living when it's not scrutinised in parallel to my peers who I think have it better than me.

I started being grateful for simpler things like the fact that we are able to travel to Taiwan as a family, that the shampoo in the hotel smells heavenly and that stinky tofu tastes addictingly delicious. I no longer care about the fact that someone got the latest bag I've been drooling over, or that someone's boyfriend treated them out to Nobu-equivalent restaurants. 

3. You'll realise when you reactivate your account, that you really didn't miss out on much.

FOMO and feeling like you're going to lose friends because of this is definitely going to be a hard feeling to deal with when you first deactivate your account. I remember when I first deactivated my Insta, I was expecting a bombard of unread messages in my inbox of friends trying to contact me (to be honest, that's a pretty dumb expectation as they won't even be able to find my account in the first place). I was expecting that when I came back from the break, I'll find out I've missed out on big milestones on my friends' lives (e.g: them having a new boyfriend, getting promoted at their jobs, graduating), and that I'll be a terrible friend to have missed out on their important events. 

I can tell you right now, when you reactivate your acount (no matter how long it's been), you'll realise that nothing much has changed and that your peace in life is worth more than any friends' milestones in life that you have potentially missed. If they're true close friends, they definitely would've contacted you another way anyway, and you'll also be able to see who really wants you in their lives and puts in the effort to maintain contact with you despite this "erratic" choice of yours. 

I hope these points have convinced you to deactivate your Instagram (even just for a week) to seek a more purposeful life! Happy detoxing! :)