It’s no lie, I’m a huge Instagram addict! I’m lucky to be able to work from home and use this huge platform for my business, so basically I’m online often and I SEE A LOT. What I’m seeing more and more lately are unhappy Instagram users. But whyyyyy?Did you know there’s 600 million other Instagram users? Yeah, MIND blown right! We live in this little bubble of the people we follow, that we forget what else is out there. You’ll see me reference this 600 million number a lot in this post, because well, it’s good to be reminded just how big and vast this world is. It really doesn’t have to be a depressing app! So I’ve written some Insta life hacks that will help you to be HAPPY and remain scrolling without cringing!
1. Don’t compare
Comparing your life to the onscreen images is an easy trap to fall into and it’s the biggest culprit in making people depressed online. I used to do it every time I scrolled through the gram. Man oh man what a complete head fuck comparison is! Guys, Instagram isn’t real life, it’s snap shots of moments, usually styled in some way. You don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes; if the people in the photo are even happy, if they are drowning in debt, if they are jealous of YOU! An image might tell a thousand words, but it’s the words they want you to see in their creativity only! As soon as you accept this, the happier your Insta experience will be. Yes, people have better homes. Yes, some have 6 kids when you want one. Yes, her hair is lush and thick and you’re struggling just to even wash yours. But there’s 600 million accounts out there doing life differently, wouldn’t life be boring if everyone was the same?
MAKE THE CHANGE: Start appreciating each account for what beauty they offer. As soon as you stop comparing and wishing your life was theirs, the happier and more content you’ll be.
2. Don’t do Follow for follows
To improve your positive Insta experience, you should only follow accounts that you LOVE, are INSPIRED BY, find USEFULL, and actually WANT TO SEE while scrolling. Don’t feel forced to follow accounts, don’t do follow for follows, because it’s NOT about the number of followers. That number doesn’t even matter if it doesn’t change your engagement. It should be about authenticity and genuine connections. I often go through my follow list and unfollow for the above reasons. If I no longer have a connection or if I no longer need to buy from that store, well I unfollow. And then I go and discover a bunch of new accounts that tickle my fancy at that point in life!
MAKE THE CHANGE: As soon as you stop worrying about “numbers” you’ll actually start to enjoy your Insta experience. The happier you are with your feed and the content you CHOOSE to see, more positive things will flow in from this change of mindset!
3. Don’t Dwell on Friend or Foes
Get rid of your unfollow app. LIKE RIGHT NOW!
From personal experience, this app was the most unhealthy thing I had in my life. Watching people follow and unfollow, and dwelling on the “why” turned me into a mental case. Why do this to yourself?
If someone unfollows you, don’t take it personally! There’s 600 million other accounts out there, more people will discover you, fall in love and build a connection with you. Don’t waste two seconds over dwelling on WHYYYYYY someone’s unfollowed you. You’re not always going to be someone’s cup of tea, and that’s totally fine! I’d rather people love my content, then cringe and feel they have to keep following.
MAKE THE CHANGE: As soon as you let go of being sad about people unfollowing, you’ll have a happier Insta experience.
4. Don’t ALWAYS Be Openly bitchy
We’ve all seen those not-so-cryptive posts or Insta stories. Those passive aggressive digs at other accounts for being, well, them! Asking your followers questions based on other people’s accounts “Who hates it when people talk to the camera” *insert passive aggressive dig* “why do you share other accounts?” *insert passive aggressive dig* “Who hates it when people do this on their feeds” *insert passive aggressive dig*.
Guess what guys, you’ve left others feeling like shit. Yeh I get it, it’s your opinion. But basically also just another example of online bullying, your intention is for those accounts to see your polls or open bitching and your intention isn’t actually very nice. But there’s 600 million other Insta accounts and YOUR way doesn’t have to be the RIGHT way for everyone. What annoys you might not annoy the person next to you. If someone wants to share a new pic in their stories, don’t let this get to you, it’s a 15 second snippet that’s not actually affecting your life in a bad way.
MAKE THE CHANGE: But if you still feel your experience is being affected by these accounts then jump up, stop being openly annoyed, realise that there’s no RULES to follow and everyone’s just doing their own thang! Go find accounts that make you happy!
5. Don’t be a Negative Nancy
Don’t be one. Simple! I know plenty of accounts who claim to be super positive, but all they seem to do is whinge and whinge and usually about other accounts, it’s actually really draining. It makes you look silly if it’s a common occurrence and it’s a sure fire way for people to click unfollow. We all have enough shit going on in our own lives off screen to then be bombarded with negativity on screen. Some people really thrive on negativity, click bait, or even drama on posts and look, if that’s your thing then there’s plenty of accounts you’ll find who specialise in this stuff. But if another account is irritating you, unfollow them. Stop festering over their annoyance. Because there’s 600 million other Insta accounts out there so you can find others you will actually enjoy!
MAKE THE CHANGE: As soon as you identify who annoys you, then move on, break up, make the healthy move and go discover some fresh new accounts that MAKE YOU HAPPY!
6. Post what ever you want
If you want to posts 9745 photos of your kid, or cat, or motorbike- DO IT! If you love a checker style feed, black and white photos, candid or styled images, theres no right or wrong way to do the Gram. It’s your creative outlet so post what makes you genuinely happy. If you don’t like the kid or cat spam, there’s 600 million other accounts who posts things you WANT to see. Don’t make people feel like shit if they don’t post the content YOU want to see. Go discover others who posts less of those things and more of your own interests and show them love.
MAKE THE CHANGE: As soon as you realise how ENORMOUS this Instagram world is, and understand you aren’t being forced at gun point to follow people, the happier you’ll be.
7. Ignore the haters
Exactly this, ignore them. Don’t let nastiness seep into your skin because it’s like positing and will eat away! IGNORE IGNORE IGNORE! If there’s someone harassing you, do not give them the satisfaction of responding, just delete the comment and then block them. Make sure you delete the comment before you block though, as the comment will remain visible to others if you don’t. You have control over your content and your account and it’s totally acceptable to remove anyone who is upsetting you in anyway.
MAKE THE CHANGE: As soon as you start ignoring the haters, the healthier and happier you’ll be.
8. Take a Break
If you’re still feeling overwhelmed, or not in a good head space. Take a break. Put your phone down and just live life off the screen for a day or two. A break can be totally healthy for our minds and puts whats really important into perspective.
So, just a friendly reminder, there’s 600 million other Instagram accounts out there with awesome content. You totally can have a happy experience, the ball is now in your court babes!
Happy gramming!
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