You are a social media manager, content creator, or small business owner? So, you likely spend quite a lot of time on Instagram. And while it’s great to build a community and making sales with the app, it can also help improve your mental health. Fortunately, there are some Instagram features that may help you to manage your mental health at work and create a more mindful digital space.
Manage Your Mental Health at Work: 8 Instagram Features
From never fully “switching off” to monitoring notifications, it can be tough to seek out balance when you’re using Instagram for work.
We all know how time spent scrolling through the app, answering DMs, and reply to comments can easily add up.
And the social media burnout is totally real — Dr. Michaela Dunbar of @myeasytherapy describes it as a “type of online fatigue that may occur once you spend too much time using social networks.”
Here are some Instagram features and tools that will allow you to “unplug” and create a more mindful space:
#1: Mute Push Notifications on Instagram
Want a break from Instagram notifications?
You should use Instagram’s mute feature to silence push notifications together with likes, comments, tags, DMs, and more.
Go to your Instagram settings, choose “Notifications,” and turn on “Pause All” to mute notifications from wherever between 15 minutes to 8 hours.
When the time is up, your notifications will return to their normal settings — no need to reset. This means you’ll be able to easily keep up with your work after getting some well-deserved downtime.
NOTE: You will still see the notification if you open the Instagram app, so take a full hiatus when you actually want to unplug!
#2: Schedule Your Instagram Content in Advance
Streamlining your workflow whenever you work in social media can be a massive time-saver.
One way to streamline? By posting your Instagram content in advance with a scheduler.
This way, your content will go “live” when it’s the best time to post, without you having to go online to the Instagram app.
Scheduling your content in advance is one of the greatest methods to claim your time back, so offline really means offline.
#3: Manage Your Time Spent on Instagram
Whether you’re responding to comments or searching for new leads, it’s easy to find yourself spending hours a day on Instagram.
Fortunately, the Daily Reminder tool will help you be mindful of how much time you spend on the app and manage your time more efficiently:
Lindsay Ashcraft, Social Media Coordinator from Later, takes it a step further to create boundaries during out-of-work hours.
“I set social screen time limits on my phone to create a healthy work-life balance, and leave my phone at home once I go for weekend walks.”
Here are a few of her favorite no-screen activities:
#4: Block Offensive Comments
Offensive comments can have a serious impact on your mental health at work — especially if they’re focusing on you or your business.
In an effort to combat the rise of bullying, Instagram has applied numerous moderation tools, including blocking offensive words.
To access the tool, visit the “Privacy” page from your settings menu and choose “Comments.”
Here, you’ll be able to:
- Select who you allow comments from.
- Block comments from certain accounts. Any new comments made by people you block will only be seen by them, but this doesn’t apply to paid ads.
- Automatically hide offensive comments.
- Manually filter comments that include some specific words, phrases, or emojis from your Instagram content.