How to detox from Instagram

Remember that we exist as living beings, as more than just consumers of pixels on a three-by-six-point five-inch device. [Reina Kimeu, Standard]

Get out of the house

Although this may seem like an obvious solution, it is rarely, if ever, that easy. For some people, going out without company is anxiety-inducing and at the same time, finding someone to go out with is stressful. This makes for a lose-lose situation where they then decide to stay indoors and just scroll instead.

The trick to going out alone is romanticizing every second of your time outside. Take a second and breathe in the sights and sounds, make up stories of the people you see, and listen to music. It also helps to go outside during sunrise or at sunset to soak in the beauty.

Engage your mind

Part of the reason people stay so long on Instagram is the fact that as a collective, our attention span is decreasing at a noticeable and alarming rate. A study placed the current human attention span at seven seconds.

Therefore, doing activities that actively engage your mind such as meditation or watching an engaging show will reduce reliance on the dopamine rush of short videos and photos on Instagram while simultaneously increasing your attention span.

Getting your mind in the right state might not require therapy, all you need to do is throw your router out of a high window. An exaggeration, sure, but there's a kernel of a point there.

In this fast-paced reality we have created for ourselves, sometimes it is best to step back from the fray for a minute, breathe and remember that we exist as living beings, as more than just consumers of pixels on a three-by-six-point five-inch device.