I realised that I was spending around 10 hours per week on Instagram scrolling over "news feed" (this feed had posts which made me believe that other's lives are a lot more interesting than mine). We are all blinded by the mask that Instagram puts over reality. I started analyzing my current situation. To my horror, I realised that I posted pictures just to seek "validation" from my friends. I needed "validation" that I looked pretty. I needed "validation" that my life was interesting, I needed "validation" that I am capable of getting a lot of attention in the form of "likes". I scrolled over thousands of pictures of other people "enjoying" their lives and felt bad about myself.
"Who were you before Instagram?"
Then I came across the term "Duck Syndrome". The term refers to the way a duck appears to be gliding effortlessly over water while below the surface, its feet work frantically, invisibly struggling to stay afloat. Many of us have projected a perfect image on social media, our feed packed with inspirational quotes, showing attractive images of ourselves, pictures showing that we excel with minimum efforts. But deep down, we are all struggling emotionally.
This had to stop!
10 hours per week of Instagram equates to over 21 complete days in a year and about 1.5 years in 20 years. This is a lot of time !! And I cannot afford to lose my time on negative habits. So I quit instagram and it has been a week already. One thing I can say for sure is that I am feeling a lot better. I am on my way to re-build my self-esteem and spending time on things that genuinely makes me happy.
"In a world where everyone is over exposed, the coolest thing you can do is maintain your mystery."