Beat the Instagram Blues: Mindset tools to keep you from getting down if things don't go quite as you planned

Hey there gorgeous,

Have you ever opened up Instagram to check on something and all of a sudden a half an hour has flashed by and you’ve done nothing but scroll (fairly aimlessly) and now you feel like utter poo because you’ve just wasted a bunch of your time and you’ve nothing to show for it?

Or worse, in your scroll meandering you saw a bunch of creatives you consider peers, seemingly doing amazing things, absolutely kicking goals, and now you feel sick to the stomach for not getting out there doing similarly amazing things yourself?

Or, do you have those days when you think “I really should post something today, ugh, but what? And will it really matter if I don’t?” and then you just, kinda, don’t post. And the longer it goes between posts the harder it gets to get back into it?

These are the ugly uncomfortable things that come with being a creative on Instagram, particularly a Quiet Creative. And we’ve all been there.

But the great news is that there are some simple things you can do and tools you can use, to not fall prey to these mind traps this year. And I thought I would share some with you today. 

5 tips to help you stay sane on Instagram this year

Establish clear boundaries for how and when you show up on Instagram.

If you have never done this before, now is a great time to give this a go.

Setting boundaries helps prevent overwhelm and ensures a healthier relationship with Instagram.

What does this look like?

At a most basic level you can set limits on the amount of time you spend scrolling. For ease, you can designate a time frame when you pre-emptively give yourself permission to scroll. This may be when you post or it could just be free scrolling time (you should always stay and engage after posting though).

One way you can do this is by simply making a commitment to yourself for a self-imposed limit.  Another is to use technology to your advantage.

Most phones now have the option to limit your usage on your apps.  If you have an iPhone you can do this in your Settings under the Screen Time heading. If you are on an android there are apps like Bark or you can use the Digital Wellbeing function.

Disabling notifications is another really simple step you can take to stay off the app too. If you don’t get that dopamine hit that comes with a notification, you wont be tempted to break down and open the app when you should be doing something else.

You may not stick to your boundaries always but setting them is the first step towards achieving them.  

2. Pre-make your decisions to avoid decision fatigue.

You’ve probably heard of it but in case you haven’t, decision fatigue is the phenomenon where the quality of your decision-making decreases after a prolonged period of making choices. Put simply, you have more capacity to make good choices at the beginning of the day than you do at the end of it.

For creatives, by the time we reach the end of the day when most of us are posting or interacting on Instagram, our abilities to make good choices have been quite corroded by all the decision making we have done in the lead up to then.

Because of this, the more you can pre-make decisions about when and where and how you show up on Instagram, the easier it is to actually do so. 

For example, if you have decided you want to post Sunday through to Thursday evenings throughout the school term, come any random Wednesday afternoon you won’t find yourself tossing up whether or not to post.  You just will.  Instagram loves consistency so this pre-commitment to post will help you not only nurture your audience, but also please the algorithm.

Pro tip - A way to up your game here is to use a scheduling app like Planoly or Later.  Not only will all your decisions around when your content goes out be pre-made well in advance, but so will the decisions about the content itself. 

There are lots of different scheduling apps on the market but if you’re thinking about using one I suggest making sure it has the ability to actually show you your grid layout so that you can ensure a consistently pleasing effect as you post. 

3. Remember the big picture.

Instagram as a platform is constantly being optimised to make its shareholders more money at every opportunity.

When you are creating content it may feel like you are doing it for your audience.  And on the face of it you are. But the big picture is that you are actually creating content for Instagram, so that people are enticed to spend more time on the platform and Instagram can monetise this attention. Given this, Instagram is perpetually tweaking the algorithm to manipulate you to create content that keeps people engaged as much as possible.

If your engagement drops, it’s not a reflection of you personally, it is a reflection of how your content is lining up with what they want you to do. Being able to extract how you feel from the results you are achieving with growth and engagement on Instagram is a superpower.

Instagram is a game. What happens there is not a reflection of your worth, only of how quickly you are adjusting to the ever changing rules of the game.

On that note …

4.  Nothing ever stays the same.  Constant change is guaranteed on all social media platforms.

Flexibility in how you think about the platform and how you engage with it will lead to success. When you find a formula that works absolutely work it, but when it stops working that just means there’s a new formula out there waiting to be discovered.

Remember, if you are finding Instagram is not working for you, it is not personal, it is just that you are not doing what Instagram wants you to do and therefore your reach is being restricted.

5. Commit to the long game

Just like there are no get rich quick schemes that actually work, there are no Instagram growth hacks you can use that will instantly deliver an authentically engaged and loyal community. Consistency is queen, and showing up consistently with valuable content (and engaging with your people)  is the key to creating a healthy Instagram community.

BONUS tip

6. Comparison is the thief of joy.

We all know that social media often showcases curated highlights rather than the full reality of someone's life. As Theodore Roosevelt has been credited with saying “comparison is the thief of joy”.

Comparing yourself to others on Instagram can be detrimental  to your mental health as it often leads to feelings of inadequacy, lowers your self-esteem, and hinders your authentic creativity and individuality. If you find yourself in the comparison trap there are a couple of tools you can employ to get yourself out of it.

To avoid the comparison trap the first thing you need to do is focus on cultivating self-awareness.  Realising it is happening and is detrimental for you is the first step in avoiding it.

Next up, set realistic goals for yourself which are aligned with your own personal values. Remember that everyone is on their own journey, and you don’t know exactly how people got to where they are at.  Your account is a reflection of your journey to date, and the season you are in in your business, just like theirs is a reflection of the seasons they have had in theirs.

Finally, be mindful about who you follow and engage with on Insta.  If you see accounts that trigger you, block them.  Its completely legitimate to safeguard your mental health this way. 

If there are accounts that seem to always be copying you with their content or artistic endeavors, definitely block them too.

You have the right to curate your Instagram feed the way that suits you best.

I could write for days on the strategies you can use when deciding who to follow on IG, but when it comes to safeguarding your mental health and energy, I am a firm advocate for prudently blocking as need be.

So there we have it. 

The 5 (+1) mindset frame works you can employ to help safeguard your mental health on Instagram this year.

I hope they help steer you towards a more enjoyable relationship with the platform.

X Ilona

Written by Ilona Glastonbury