For someone who’s obsessed with Instagram, it can be hard not to let the constant influx of perfect images wear on you. As much as we love it for keeping us up-to-date on our friends, fashion news and memes, the overwhelming amount of documentation is also a proven source of anxiety. But you don’t need a scientific study to tell you that—we’ve all experienced feelings of longing and inadequacy when scrolling through our friends’ dreamy vacations or #sponsored shopping sprees. We know it’s a highlight reel, and we’re all guilty of contributing to it, but sometimes we just need to reevaluate how we’re letting it affect our mood and greater well-being. Next time you find yourself comparing your life with someone else’s posts and getting a bout of the blues as a result, try partaking in one of these more positive options instead.
Navigating The 'Gram
Compliment Someone Else
And don't do it so they'll compliment you back or increase your engagement, but because you genuinely mean it. How special does it make you feel when someone acknowledges the accomplishment you're celebrating, the new shoes you just bought or even just your smile in your latest post? Don't forget to do the same for others, even if it's just an acquaintance. You might just make their day, too.
Make A Friend
So, you've found yourself on a friend of a friend of a friend’s account, and she's really cool. Whether she popped up on your search page or you stalked a few too many tags, she's far enough removed from you that you don't feel that weird for coming across her feed. But nonetheless, you love this individual's style and/or you've been dying to try that brunch spot she just posted about. Instead of going down the jealousy spiral, why not throw her a follow because you're basically the same? After some mutual online love, you might even become friends IRL. Sometimes all it takes is a friendly DM.
Buy Something That Catches Your Eye
It's easy to feel material envy—even sometimes resentment—toward that blogger who's constantly sharing her free goodies and seems to have a new designer bag every day. But oftentimes, the reason for her outfit posts are to bring exposure to brands you should know about or labels that are about to blow up. Next time you find yourself down the rabbit hole of a blogger’s tags and links-in-bios, bite the bullet and actually buy that one thing you're so passionately tracking down (just make sure the site is legit). After all, there's nothing better than a package at the door to instantly boost your mood. Plus, you'll always have a story to share when people compliment you on your cool find.
Follow An Account That Inspires You
We're not talking about a feed full of cheesy quotes (though those posts have their place). Alongside all the Instagrammers showing off their best lives, however, are some insanely successful and hardworking women showing off their real lives. Seeing the everyday hustle that goes into their success can be far more motivating and encouraging than any inspirational saying. Here, a few meaningful favorites:
Take A Break
If Instagram is making you feel genuinely down about yourself, if it’s keeping you from tackling an important task at work or if your thumb is in physical pain from all that scrolling, put down your phone. Consider deleting the app for a while or even just one day a week. You'll actually feel less FOMO not knowing what everyone else is up to, and your BFF will text you anyway to like her selfie. Sometimes, you just need to give yourself a break.
