You don’t have to be on Instagram all the time.

A short song to give you courage.

Disclaimer: This post, for the most part, is not debate-related content. Sorry. Or you’re welcome.

In the spring of 2022, my wife Katie left Instagram.

And here’s a funny thing:

Whenever I’ve been present as she mentions this to others, no one asks why.   

Not a single person.

Their response instead is always something like this:

Ohmigod, I’m so jealous!

Good for you. My god, it’s terrible.

I should do that!

That’s so smart. Get the hell out of there.

No one has to ask why she left.

Because THEY ALREADY KNOW:

Instagram makes most of us feel some level of anxiety, overwhelm, jealousy, and a general sense that we are not enough.

And yet, we feel like our work, our livelihood, our social life, our need to remain “in the know” relies on us remaining there.

And, let’s face it, we’re also addicted to the likes.

So maybe we don’t feel we can straight-up leave like Katie bravely did.

But if we stay, like I have, maybe we can find a way to use the app more mindfully, as a tool, going on at specific times with specific intentions, rather than letting it control us and eat up our time and so powerfully dictate our mood and mindset at any given moment.

Easier said than done, I know.

So maybe this little song will help.   

I’ve had some amazing gram-less streaks in my life lately, and it feels better. Signing in and out every time I use it helps a lot, adding a small barrier that gives me a moment to think, “Do I really want to go on here right now or am I just mindlessly tapping the IG icon because I’m on auto-pilot?”

I’ll probably end up posting this song on Instagram too, which feels hypocritical, but if even one person can have a moment of, “Oh maybe I don’t have to be on here,” that’s a win even better than a drawing of a trophy.

Honestly, it might be just that one person seeing it—since I’m not on there a lot these days, Instagram’s algorithm doesn’t like showing my stuff. What a demonic app.

Hope you’re having a good week and staying hydrated! And in case you’re horrified by last night’s debate, let me tell you: SO AM I. More thoughts next week—on this wonderful and problematic nation’s birthday—on what we can do heading into election season. In the meantime, I don’t want to end this post on a bummer note, so here’s a picture of a beautiful summer beverage. Big love to all! It’s ok to stay off Instagram.

Photo by Jake Charles on Unsplash