DO YOU STRUGGLE WITH INSTAGRAM?
If you are a yoga teacher and struggling with instagram we have all been there! For years I struggled with the platform for multiple reasons but mainly because it made me feel quite rubbish about myself. I know this was to do with my own insecurities, regardless of that it’s a tough place to hangout day in and day out. I really struggled with comparison and sometimes it still crops up, but I call it out right away.
It can be tough to look at other peoples projections of their perfect lives, which often is a warped depiction of what is actually going on. You have to be so resilient to cope with it day in and day out. We are only human after all.
I have set healthy boundaries for myself around instagram and now I can enjoy the platform and get lots out of it.
A few things that have massively helped me and my relation with the platform.
‘Notice that should bird shitting all over you’
I love this phrase that I got from my teacher Ashley Turner (who got it from her teacher). As soon as you feel like you ‘should’ be doing something it’s coming from the wrong place. Stop. Pause. Step away. Your message will not come through authentically if you are approaching it from ‘should’. Flush it out through journaling and contemplate.
When we notice the ‘should’ it’s actually a wonderful opportunity to uncover some stuff about yourself.
Try these journal prompts:
Why do you feel like you should post?
What is the feeling behind the should?
What happens if I weren’t to post?
How does it make me feel when I post from this mind set ?
2. Who are you talking to?
Figuring out who you are talking to and who you want to be talking to is so helpful when creating a post. Once you have an idea of who your audience is and who you’re talking to, creating content is easier and your authentic voice will shine through.
Try these journal prompts:
What does my ideal customer look like?
What are their problems?
What are they dealing with day to day?
How am I relating to them?
3. Be of service
Once you have figured out who you are talking to be of service to them. Post things that are valuable, that can help and inspire people. It doesn’t have to be ground breaking but ask yourself when crafting a post: who is this in service too? How am I helping them? What message do I want to get across? Don’t worry about how many likes and comments you get. If it comes from a more authentic place then ‘should’ it will feel right in your body and when it feels good for you, that will be communicated across the screen.
4. Set healthy boundaries
This will be very individual and you’ll need to figure out what works for you. Here are tips that have worked for me.
If the app is triggering me I delete it off my phone. No negotiation.
If I’m still feeling sensitive but I have something to post. I will post but not look at anything else.
I never aimlessly scroll. I consciously scroll when I know I am feeling resilient, grounded and positive.
If I catch myself aimlessly scrolling and it’s creating feelings of not ‘enough-ness’ I delete the app.
When I am feeling grounded and centred, I consciously support peers by commenting, sharing and liking, and stay connected with my community; but not to the extent I am on instagram all day.
Set a time frame in your day when you can go on insta. I don’t go on any social media or emails, WhatsApp or anything before 8am. I try and not go on instagram post 7pm. (I don’t always succeed in the evening.)
Other ideas :-
Schedule instagram time in your diary. It could be 1 hour (less or more) and after that time don’t give instagram your attention.
Figuring out a healthy relationship with instagram is so important for your mental health. Here are some journal prompts to help you figure out boundaries that work for you.
What triggers me on instagram?
How does aimlessly scrolling make me feel?
Do I compare myself to others?
Does Instagram create feelings of not enough-ness ? e.g. not doing enough, should be doing this, they’re doing so well etc.
When do I spend the most time on instagram?
Do I waste a lot of time on instagram?
Like all our relationships we want them to be healthy and well-balance. Instagram is another relationship that needs to be the same.
Photo by Georgia de Lotz on Unsplash