I deleted Instagram for a month

How stepping away made my content stronger

Hey bestie,

I learnt this the hard way. Scrolling Instagram too much kills creativity.

Last week, I was up at 2 AM, doom-scrolling.

I saw a creator in my niche - someone who started after me, already hitting 100K followers while I was stuck at 20K.

That feeling hit me hard.

That voice whispered “Everyone’s moving faster,” and “Maybe you’re just not good enough.”

I closed the app feeling low.

Couldn’t sleep.

Couldn’t focus the next day.

Then it hit me: I was wasting HOURS looking at other people’s highlight reels.

I asked myself,

Did it make my content better?

Did it make me happier?

Did it bring me more success?

And the answer was NO.

All it did was steal my time, joy, and creativity.

So I did something extreme:

I deleted Instagram for 30 days. Cold turkey. No scrolling.

I admit the first few days were rough.

I kept reaching for my phone out of habit.

But by day 7, something shifted.

I stopped thinking about what others were doing.

I started focusing on what made me excited.

I wrote content that made my heart race a little. Ideas that felt risky but real.

When I finally came back online, those posts did better than anything I’d done before.

Why?

Because they came from me, not from chasing trends or copying others.

Here’s the truth nobody talks about:

Your biggest asset isn’t your camera or editing skills. It’s your unique perspective.

Every minute you spend comparing yourself to others, you water down the very thing that makes you stand out.

Look, I’m not saying you have to delete social media (though seriously, try it for a week).

But you do need to protect your mental space at any cost.

So, next time that comparison bug bites, ask yourself:

“Is this helping me create better content, or just making me feel bad?”

If it’s the latter, close the app.

Take a walk. Call a friend. Do anything else.

The world doesn’t need another watered-down copy of someone successful.

The world needs your voice.

Your stories.

Your unique take.

Your path doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s to be real and powerful.

Rooting for you,

Archie

autthia.com