Should you cut back on Instagram?
The Trouble with “Influencers”
Sometimes the things we enjoy can also cause us stress.
Take scrolling social media.
It can be entertaining—and help you feel better connected to friends.
But as everyone knows…
There’s also a dark side.
And we’re not just talking about doom-scrolling.
For example, it’s probably not shocking that spending time on Instagram can lead to greater body dissatisfaction, more appearance comparison, and a worse mood.
But what might be surprising: Scrolling Instagram can negatively affect mental health in just seven minutes, according to a 2020 study.
Moreover, previous research found that women who posted selfies reported feeling more anxious, less confident, and less physically attractive afterward.
Why does this happen?
People around us influence how we value ourselves.
(Hey, everyone IS an influencer!)
It’s human nature to compare ourselves to friends, neighbors, and coworkers.
There’s even a name for it: social comparison theory.
To gauge our “success” in any given area of life—including our physical appearance—we look to one another for points of reference.
And if we don’t feel like we measure up? It can make us hate ourselves.
Social media exacerbates all this.
Before the internet age, we were limited to comparing ourselves to people in our actual lives—our colleagues, family members, and fellow “villagers.”
A smaller social circle meant we were only occasionally exposed to people with eight-packs and eight-figure businesses.
Now, with a couple of taps, we’re exposed to hundreds of “peers” who are both models and millionaires—seemingly winning at relationships, parenting, health, and every other aspect of life.
The Big Takeaway
If you persistently feel inadequate—and experience stress, anxiety, or negative emotions as a result—consider your social media use.
While it’s not likely social media is the sole cause of these feelings, it could be “piling on” to other contributors—even if you don’t realize it.
These can worsen your mental and emotional well-being and make healthy nutrition and lifestyle behaviors harder to maintain.
That’s why we often encourage clients to take a two-week vacation from social media.
To some folks…
That can sound… terrifying.
This is why we stress it’s not a “forever” practice and a “try something and see what happens” approach.
Spoiler alert: Many people find it liberating. And it often inspires them to manage their social media use better.
How to Take a Social Media Vacation
The evident approach here is to log out of social media entirely. (We’re pretty sure it’ll be there when you get back.)
But it’s not enough to take a break; you want to gain awareness and genuinely notice how the experience affects you.
Along the way, you want to note:
- What’s challenging?
- What’s easy?
- What’s changed?
- Is life better? Worse? In what ways?
To stay motivated, focus on the potential benefits of this social media vacation. For example, you might:
- have more time (imagine what you could do with those extra minutes or hours)
- take more action
- feel more calm and focused
- do less “compare and despair” with others’ lifestyles or bodies
After two weeks…
Assess what you’ve learned about yourself, and see if you want to make any longer-term changes.
If you’ve found life is better without social media, keep in mind: It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.
You can put boundaries around social media use (including an audit of who you follow) and leave space for the parts of it that are good for your mental and emotional health.
Of course, social media is just one example of many hidden and not-so-hidden stressors that mess with our well-being.
If you want to gain a deeper understanding of how stress impacts everything from eating behaviors to emotional health to work productivity—along with highly-effective strategies for coping better—check out our RSS Program. (The next session opens soon.)
Until next time,
Dt. Mohit Mittal
(BFND, B.TECH, DDHN, NSQF-4, YCB-3, SSY-1, PT- REPS INDIA)