Why I Unfollowed My Real Friends on Instagram
With a little intention, you can make Instagram a tool that supports your mental health
It took me a while to realize it, and then to accept it, but following my friends on Instagram makes me feel shitty.
I can be having an otherwise very lovely and relaxing day until I see a photo of my friends on a grand adventure, or having a raucous hangout, or anything that seems better than what I am currently doing. Then, I start to feel lazy, boring, left out, or otherwise inadequate. Knowing what everyone else is doing at all times makes it hard to enjoy the present and feeds the comparison monster that I suspect lurks within most millennials.
Theodore Roosevelt’s famous quote, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” has been the battle cry of my late twenties. Yet, it’s taken years to fully take action against the sneaky ways that comparison creeps into my life.
I stopped posting photos to the platform almost two years ago, aware that I didn’t like the feeling of curating my life, always seeking approval and validation from others. I didn’t want to delete the app altogether though, as it had been a critical tool for me in recovering from disordered eating.
