Some studies have even linked social media use to increased depression, negative body image, poor sleeping habits, and high anxiety, according to Judy ‘JJ’ Jackson Winston, MSSA, LISW-S, Esq, a licensed independent social worker and author. If you find that you feel anxious or down after spending time scrolling, posting, liking, commenting, or reading comments, you may need to shift your Instagram habits—and possibly some Instagram settings—to help keep your mood on a more even keel. Here, a few tips from experts on deep-cleaning your social media usage. Yes, it might seem like it would make you more anxious to know how long you’ve been scrolling, but the first step toward breaking any bad habit is awareness of the habit itself. It could ultimately be beneficial to check your stats to get a baseline idea of your Instagram use. If it’s more than 30 minutes a day, it’s time to cut it down ASAP. The goal should be to scroll for half an hour or less. And be mindful of what times of the day you’re logging in, says psychologist Yvonne Thomas, Ph.D. If Instagram has become so addicting to you that you’re missing responsibilities or struggling with sleep, turn this Instagram setting on (or set a time limit on your phone) so it notifies you when you’ve reached your daily limit. On your profile, find the hamburger icon in the top right corner of the screen. Tap “your activity,” “set daily reminder,” then select the amount of time you prefer. “Start weaning yourself down and eventually aim to look at it only a couple of times a day if possible,” Thomas says. “Don’t look at Instagram—or any other social media platforms—less than two hours before bedtime, so you can start unwinding properly and be able to sleep better.” RELATED: Sleep Procrastination Might Be Stealing Precious Hours of Rest From You—Here’s How to Stop It Photo manipulation isn’t going away anytime soon, but you can limit your exposure to it. If you’re always feeling “less than” when you come away from seeing someone’s photos, unfollow them! Tap the three dots at the top of their posts and select “unfollow;” or head to their profile, tap the dropdown option where it says “following” and select “unfollow.” If it’s not someone you want to unfollow completely, you can select the “mute” option, which will keep you from seeing their posts and stories in your feed while remaining one of their followers. This might be a good option if you have a friend whose posts are offensive, overwhelming, or otherwise unpleasant—but whom it would feel rude to totally block or unfollow. You can also let Instagram know your preferences based on your IG interactions, explains Drew Ramsey, M.D., an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University. “People will disappear from your feed or are recommended based on your viewing behavior,” he says. “Follow folks that lift up your mental health; unfollow those folks that don’t. It’s a great exercise for setting good boundaries.” Though it may feel trendy to follow a certain top influencer, theirs might not be the right page for you, says Hillary Schoninger, LCSW, a psychotherapist. “We are the experts on what we need and what will allow us to be the most authentic,” she continues. “Marie Kondo your Instagram page, and only follow pages that spark your joy. Just like our closets, our Instagram can also be cleaned up so we feel lighter.” RELATED: Time for a Digital Declutter: 8 Simple Ways to Cut Screen Time When we’re always chasing the high of getting alerts, it fuels our stress hormones, explains licensed social worker Janette Marsac, LMSW, RDN. “We begin to associate ’likes’ with self-worth, tying our value to external validation,” she says. “After you post, turn off the notifications and set a time to check your phone later and with a time cap.” Go to “settings,” “privacy,” “comments,” then choose the settings you’d like to enable or disable. Block comments from certain people, ask IG to filter out offensive comments, or manually input which words and phrases you’d like IG to remember to disable. Don’t want to know what people think of your posts altogether? Choose to disable comments, views counts, and likes on what you post. That way, you can post photos you love simply for the fun of it, without all the digital scrutiny, pressure to get hundreds of likes, or stress over who didn’t like your pic. Before posting a photo, go to “advanced settings” and switch on where it says “Hide Like Counts.” To do so after you post, tap the three dots at the top of your post to switch the “Hide Like Counts” on or off. If being on IG gives you FOMO or makes you feel lonely, find a way to get in touch with a pal the old-fashioned way, suggests Vanessa Kennedy, Ph.D., the director of psychology at Driftwood Recovery. “Real live interaction may fill your need for connection much better than Instagram does.” Schoninger explains that when we take a break from something that we’re always dependent on, we can see the situation a lot clearer. Even if it’s just for one weekend, you may discover you don’t need this app after all, or at least realize you don’t need to be as dependent on it as you’ve been in the past.
