Would Our Lives Be Better Without Instagram?

A Moment for Reflection

There are so many ways Instagram positively adds to my life. I love creating. I love connecting. I love sharing. I love what Instagram was originally intended to be. The countless relationships I’ve developed with friends across the country — and even abroad — are priceless. I would have never met one of my closest friends if it hadn’t been for our shared love of fashion and expressing our passions on Instagram more than six years ago.

Last year, another close friend and I began talking almost daily. Recently, we started sharing how Instagram can make us feel. At times, it’s wonderfully inspiring — a beautiful escape — honestly, just fun. Other times, it feels daunting. It can be filled with toxic comparison and become a surprising source of anxiety.

We’ve talked about generations before us — how the absence of technology created a kind of oblivious happiness. A world where no one could reach you unless you were home or at work. No one expected an immediate response. No pressure to post. No silent scorekeeping of productivity, beauty, or success. Of course comparison existed in their circles, but certainly not to the magnitude we experience today.

For the most part, I have a healthy relationship with social media. If I need a break, I take it. If I feel inspired to lean into my creativity, I do. But there are moments when I get wrapped up in what others are doing, achieving, and creating — and I start to feel left behind. As if my ideas and dreams will somehow pass me by if I don’t do everything — all of it — right now.

In the past, when that pressure surfaced, I would reach for everything at once. The result? Either I finished nothing…or I did everything halfway. I’m not sure which felt worse.

I’m still learning to slow down. To take inspiration as it comes. To make thoughtful lists. To plan. To enjoy the process. I often remind myself of a quote that has proven true time and time again:

“What is meant for you will not pass you by.”

The reality is this: we need breaks from almost every constant in our lives. Our jobs. Certain friendships. Even, at times, the people we love most. And yes — sometimes we need a break from Instagram.

But something my friend Megan and I realized recently is this: life will always bring emotions to the surface. If it isn’t comparison on Instagram, it may show up somewhere else. Social media just happens to be in our faces 24/7 — if we allow it to be.

And when it begins to stir unrest within us, that’s often our cue to look inward. To put the phone down. To step back into the simple act of being present.

The other day, we went to visit Carson’s grandmother and took a walk together. She said something that stopped me in my tracks:

“Many children these days are growing up — they aren’t being raised.”

We are distracted. And if we’re not careful, our attachment to our phones can become a detachment from our children. And if you don’t have children, replace “our children” with whatever matters most to you. If we don’t create boundaries around our screen time, one day we may look up and realize we missed the very moments we can’t get back.

I want to share one more small story before I close.

Recently, I found myself scrolling through Instagram, admiring beautiful kitchen remodels. (I’ve had a strong distaste for our countertops since before we moved in.) That familiar hollow feeling crept in — that longing for something different.

So I put my phone down.

I looked over at my daughter eating her afternoon snack. She began telling me about her day — her friends, what she learned, the small details that felt monumental in her little world. The brightness in her eyes and the excitement in her voice melted away every ounce of comparison I had just felt.

What she was sharing — those are the most important things.

So, would my life be better without Instagram?

For me, no. Because Instagram isn’t the root issue.

If we carved out time each day to pause — to take inventory of all we’ve been given — anxiety and comparison would begin to fade into the background. Those feelings lose their power when we measure them against the goodness already in front of us.

“Contentment is found within a grateful heart.”

The solution isn’t elimination — it’s boundaries. Imperfect, evolving boundaries that allow us to enjoy every corner of life. It’s choosing immediate reflection when negative thoughts arise. It’s focusing on what we have, rather than what we lack.

I’m choosing to embrace the wonderful aspects of the app while maintaining a grateful posture. And when I see a kitchen remodel I love, instead of envy, I want to feel inspired — because I have a kitchen. One that holds precious memories of laughter, dancing, and shared meals with my family.

If we can replace comparison with gratitude, we open ourselves to fully enjoying the opportunities in every avenue of life — Instagram included.