I remember several years ago, when Facebook was still in its infancy, the photos and posts we made. Extremely “embarrassing” I want to tell you. Blurry, unedited photos, with no quote in the caption of course. But they were, I have to admit, “genuine”. We didn’t particularly care how many likes we would get, it was enough for our very close friends to see them.

Today, Instagram has more than 2 billion daily users worldwide. And to come to the previous comparison between Facebook in the era of 2007 for example with the era of Instagram in the years 2022, according to a study published in the journal Psychology Of Popular Media Cultureexcessive use of Instagram can cause women between the ages of 18 and 35 to experience symptoms of depression, self-esteem issues, general and physical anxiety, and body dissatisfaction.

Our brains have been taken over by a constant stream of perfectly curated images, so when it comes to posting ourselves, we freeze. But what is it that we really feel at that exact moment when we go to publish and why?

“We live our lives online, connected with every like”

In the age of flawless influencers, gorgeous bodies and luscious faces, it’s only natural and natural to feel some embarrassment at the sight of wrinkles, acne and so on. But does it really make sense? So I’m here to tell you that it’s not, it’s just that our brains somehow work like Instagram’s algorithm.

The prettier, the more likes. The happier you look in your photos, the more acceptance. The stress we experience every time we see an Instagram face and compare it to our own is endless and yes, in our mental world at every such moment something breaks down.

So if you’re wondering why you feel so anxious when you’re about to post a photo, it’s because you’re subconsciously comparing yourself and expecting to get acceptance – which by social standards you know you won’t get.

How can we stop and enjoy the app as a place to share photos of our lives and not consume negative emotions?

According to therapist and counselor Kemi Omijeh, Instagram taps into our human impulse. “We are social beings who seek connection with one another, and social media has given us that instant gratification of connection in the form of a like or a follow.”

Our ego gets a small psychological boost with each like and we repeat the process over and over to get that boost. This is why social media can become addictive.

It’s easy to forget that we are in control of what we post.

Elysee Desai, coach and hypnotherapist, believes the best way to approach our Instagram anxiety is to understand what “fear” actually means to us.

“Two common fears are not being good enough and not being liked,” says Desai. “To overcome this, try writing in a journal to understand where this belief is coming from and understand how this feeling is preventing you from posting.”

Attaching so much meaning to everything we post on Instagram is a surefire way to increase our anxiety, so it’s important to remember that what we see online is only a small part of our life story. We are not our social media photos and the better we inculcate this, the better for us.

Take digital breaks, step outside the online world and remind yourself that social media is just a snapshot. They don’t define you.

Read more

What is the #1 conversation you should have before taking the next step in your relationship

Because Christmas with family is sacred