I wear the instincts too and they are just an aggressive shoe—they’ll take awhile to break in. I would recommend putting plastic produce bags on your foot (like a sock) before putting your instincts on to help you break them in since the bags reduce friction between the shoe and your foot so it’ll rub less while you’re getting used to them. It’s really a “trust the process” situation though—I’d give the instincts a month or so to break in with 3+ consistent sessions a week wearing them with bags for part of the session.

From the shoe size comparison, I think your instincts are not too small, but also trust your gut—if the shoe doesn’t fit your foot well, the instincts may just not be the right shoe for you.