Why I’m Glad My Instagram Was Hacked
In December of 2022, my business Instagram @humor.and.mental.health (now @humor.and.mentalhealth) with over 30,000 followers was hacked.
I went through a grieving process - feeling frustrated, angry, and heartbroken when it happened.
A lot of hours of posting and interacting with people had gone into that page. I was getting some (not a lot but some) monthly income through posting reels on that page.
I reached out to some contacts to see if there was any way to recover my page, but I had no such luck. It was gone.
I started a new page, which hasn’t generated nearly the same amount of traction even two years later.
But I’m honestly ok with that - maybe even happy about it. And here’s why.
More Time to Invest in Other Areas of My Business
As a mental health professional, social media is not the number one marketing strategy for my business.
I think, in 2025, it’s great to have an online presence for current clients and random people to have access to more free resources, but it’s not where new clients come from.
So, it has been nice to be able to shift my focus and have more time to invest in other areas that are, for lack of a better term, more important than posting to social media daily.
Since my Instagram page was hacked, I’ve written two books (more news on my second one coming soon!), expanded to have more providers working at my practice, and taken a few important trainings that have added extremely valuable tools to my skillset.
These are all more useful to my growth personally and professionally, and if my Instagram hadn’t been hacked, who knows where I’d be with any of this now.
More Time to Invest in Other Things Outside of My Business
Posting on Instagram is time consuming.
I may not have master all of the tips and tricks to streamline it, but it’s time consuming no matter what.
Creating post images and videos (which I wasn’t even doing with that page because it was all reposted memes!), writing the content of the posts, posting stories, interacting with other pages, and responding to all the comments on your page - ah!
It’s seriously time consuming and exhausting. Or at least it feels that way now in hindsight.
Without those added tasks to do each day or each week, my mind and my time are more free to engage in other non-work related things, too.
For example, after a recent trip to Dominican Republic, my husband and I decided that we wanted to brush up on our Spanish before our trip to Mexico in March. So, we both purchased Babbel and have been doing 10-15 minute lessons each day.
That same amount time may have been spent planning and posting content in the past, and it feels great to be doing something else with my time.
Less Pressure to Post
I recently read an interesting post from someone with a page with more than 100,000 followers (I don’t remember who it was - otherwise, I’d link to their post here).
They wrote about the experience of seeing everything as content and what an exhausting experience it was for them. Everywhere they go, every interaction, every thing their child does, etc. - it could all be possible content.
I found that interesting because I could see how that is so true! Thankfully, because I wasn’t creating my own pictures or videos, I didn’t experience this fully but I did have that experience on a much smaller scale.
A holiday coming up? You start thinking about what content you can make related to it.
Something interesting come up in conversation with one of my clients or with my husband? I can make a post related to that.
It takes you out of just living your life and puts you in nearly constant content creator mode.
So, needless to say, I’m definitely enjoying not having the pressure to post every day and being removed from the content creator mindset.
Don’t Need to Spend So Much Time Online
Related to some of the other points, I don’t need to spend so much time online anymore.
I don’t need to check for comments or moderate conversations in the comments on my posts.
I don’t even need to go online every day because I’m not posting every day. That has been such a relief.
Don’t get me wrong, I see the benefits and positive aspects of social media.
For example, Facebook groups are great for networking with other therapists, and they can be an amazing resource for finding very niche groups who share your interests.
I also see the benefits of spending less time online, such as less comparison to others, less negative impact on your self-esteem, and being more connected to yourself and the present moment.
What would you be doing with your time if you spent less time online each day?
Read more ideas to help you slow down and live a more present life in this article that I was recently featured in: What is Slow Living: 6 Ways to Embrace it This Winter
Final Notes
Just to be clear, this is about my experience only.
There are lots of people who seem to enjoy posting every day, or at least have found ways to make it work for them. I’m not judging or taking away from their experiences at all.
I wanted to share this experience because I felt that others may be able to relate and to help others see that not every one enjoys posting online or being content creators (even though it may seem that way sometimes).
Although I was pretty upset at first, I’m glad that my old Instagram page was hacked now.
It has allowed me to shift my focus and spend more time on other work and non-work related things, feel less pressure to post regularly and get out of the content creator mindset, and spend less time online overall, which has resulted in less stress and better boundaries around time spent online and time spent doing work-related tasks outside of work hours.
What has your experience been with posting online and or having your page hacked? Feel free to share with me!
Support for women: Self-Love for Women group
If you're ready to explore the power of self-love, my virtual Self-Love for Women group is here to support you. Your self-love story is waiting to unfold, and I’m here to champion your growth every step of the way! Reach out today to join the Spring 2025 session, available for women in Wisconsin, Florida, Utah, and Vermont.
Read more: Winter Self-Care
Related Resources: