How to Stop Being Addicted to Instagram
500 Million people spend an average of 53 minutes a day on instagram. Over your lifetime, you will spend 8 months on instagram. That’s a Problem.
In this post, I am going to show you EXACTLY how to stop being addicted to Instagram & take back control of your time.
Lets Get Started.
Is Instagram taking over your life? Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. Are you spending progressively more time aimlessly scrolling? The truth is, You are losing control of your time.
Slowly but surely, Instagram is dictating & controlling your attention.
It’s so bad that when your phone buzzes from a notification, your brain is now trained to instantly release Dopamine, a feel good chemical that triggers the reward centre of your brain, the same chemical that is released when you take a hard drug.
And listen, I’m not saying that instagram is a bad thing, I love instagram. It keeps me connected with friends, idols, and people I want to stay in touch with. On top of that, it’s fun, I like it.
But what’s important is YOU being in control of it as oppose to it being in control of you.
By the end of this post, you are going to know exactly how to stop being addicted to Instagram and the 4 key strategies for making it happen long term.
So without further a due, let’s get into it.
Recently, I felt instagram taking up more time than I would like it to. I would find myself opening instagram for NO reason, watching a few stories and catching myself in the moment, then being like ‘Juan, what are you doing?!’ And then exiting out. This happened often.
I’ve decided that stops now. And I realized that there are a few things if you do correctly and consistently, it BREAKS your instagram addiction completely (because it is an addiction)
These 4 things are absolutely essential so make sure you read until the end so you don’t miss anything.
#1 for How to stop being addicted to instagram is AWARENESS
Awareness is KEY when it comes to curbing your insta addiction. What this means is seeing exactly how much time you spend on instagram.
Now I must warn you, some of you aren’t going to like what we’re about to do. Some of you are going to be disappointed, impressed, shocked, and everything in between but before you look, realize that it is OKAY.
My first time looking at this, it wasn’t pretty. I was shocked at how much time I spent on instagram.
You are going to go to the settings on your phone, do it right now, follow along, This is like a kids show.
And go to Settings, then Screen time, then See all Activity, then click on Instagram. Instagram is by far my most used so it is at the top.
Now look at what your daily average is as well as how much time you spend on it in a week.
Having this awareness will open your eyes to the fact that you could benefit from a slight reduction. The first step in any change is recognizing you have a problem and then we can fix it.
IF you are floating around the 1 hour a day mark, you are on track to lose 8 months of your life to instagram. Let that sink in.
#2 for How to stop being addicted to instagram is SCHEDULING
Schedule in your time on instagram.
For a lot of people, the problem is randomness.
All of the quick scrolls quickly add up. 5 minutes here, 10 minutes there, 3 hours later. BAM. We have an issue.
So put it in your calendar and schedule in time to go on Instagram.
This will help limit your time on instagram but it will also give you something to look forward to. It will feel even better because you have delayed gratification.
When you fall into instant gratification, it lowers your level of will power and makes the reward feel not that great.
When you delay gratification, you give your brain time to get excited and actually makes the reward much more satisfying.
#3 for How to stop being addicted to instagram is NOTIFICATIONS
This is the Ninja trick that will change the game.
It’s so easy but so many people don’t do it. If we want to get rid of the dopamine hit we experience when our phone buzzes, it’s simple, turn off the buzz.
Turn OFF all notifications for instagram. But I’ll miss being tagged in pictures, what if someone mentions me on their story?! I get it.
You will be able to catch up in that schedule time. You will be able to be super engaged when you are on instagram and respond to everyone just fine.
This step single handedly puts YOU back in charge instead of instagram being in charge.
It puts the decision of when to and when not to go on instagram in your hands.
#4 for How to stop being addicted to instagram is doing an INSTAGRAM CLEANSE
This is one I did a few months back and I think it was the one I noticed made the biggest difference for me personally.
An instagram cleanse is where you go into your account, go to your followers and absolutely PURGE your list. Be brutal, be ruthless, and Feel Good about it.
I guarantee there are people you are following that you DO NOT need to be following. That are wasting your time when they show up on your timeline.
This may sound a little harsh but it’s the truth. You need to only follow people/ accounts you are genuinely interested in. That are going to add real value to your life.
Everyone else, fire them.
For those of you who don’t know, I’m a professional speaker for High school & College students and the one thing that comes up often is students asking me to follow them on instagram after speeches and when they ask,
I look them in the eye, take a breathe and say NO.
It was tough at first but I got used to it and now its EASY. Am I a bad person? Who knows.
I now follow 124 people and it’s AMAZING.
Sometimes, we just need to unfollow people, both Instagram and in real life.
Until next time, keep creating an epic life