5 Things I learned From Stepping Away from the social media machine
Leaving Behind the IG Grind
If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you may not have seen me posting very often this past year. I took a very unintentional step back from social media when my daughter was born (you can blame her for that one!!). Since then I have been very intentional about where I spend my time, and how I want to show up. This includes how I show up online, and also choosing how I want to be as a parent and a person!
This intentionality has made me pause and consider whether I just want to keep churning out social media content for the sake of being consistent (I don’t), and what kind of content I want to create for my audience and community. Taking this break has taught me a lot of valuable lessons. Here’s my 5 top lessons from leaving behind the IG grind!
5 Things I Learned from Leaving the Social Media Machine Behind
- Life is so much brighter without an Instagram filter. Presence = happiness (oversaid and yet still under-exaggerated).
- I miss writing and creating SO MUCH you wouldn’t believe. I’ve been in a weird limbo state where I feel super creative but get very limited time to write or film or even take a selfie (hence why this wee fruitloop is making a cameo).
- When I do get a spare moment, I get complete writer’s block. Rei is actually having a decent nap atm thank you thank you thank you universe <>) and even with no distractions it’s taken me an hour to write this. It takes me so so long to formulate a decent sentence (<> even that one took longer than I’d like to admit <>). Writing, like yoga and everything else in life, requires daily practice.
- I’m so much more mindful about what I consume. Stepping away from IG made me realise how much the online world has turned into a global competition of who can shout the loudest. Influencer culture, polarising opinions, success stories filled to the brim with survivorship bias, so much hatred … I’m so over it. I want raw, humbling truth and vulnerability. Everything else can fox off <>
- I’ve realised how work-centric I’ve been for years. It’s been horrendous and so unhealthy. I’ve had days off for the first time in years (I know right <>). I’m teaching 3-4 hours a week just now, and the rest of the time I’m living. Actually living. My business gets to fit in around my life from now on, not the other way around.
- My dharma and drive don’t go down the drain. In fact, stepping back from being consistent for consistency’s sake has given me space to get so very clear and fired up about where I’m taking my work and how I want my life to look moving forward.
I’ve used this time to really clarify how I want my life and work to look and feel. Work/life balance is dynamic; sometimes one will have to take priority over the other, but I don’t want to ever get back into ‘all work and no play’ mode ever again. I’m a creator and staying inspired is key, so I’m definitely saying sayanora to the grind of the social media machine.
How is your relationship with social media? Do you struggle with how much you consume or the pressure to create? Let me know in the comments below 🙂
