“She’s on a break. She needs a break!”
(Do you know which movie this quote is from?)
I didn’t set out to take a break. The break found me.
I used to have all the socials on my phone. “All the socials” meaning Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the social-like search engine, Pinterest.
Then years ago, I decided to take them off. All of them were removed except for Instagram because I couldn’t do what I wanted without the app. The rest of them, I could use a scheduler and pop on the platform from my computer when I decided. It felt more intentional instead of mindlessly scrolling.
But even with trying to be intentional about my use, I spent way too much time mindlessly scrolling.
Now, don’t get me wrong, there are things I love about social media.
I love sharing and connecting with others. These platforms have introduced me to some wonderful people I never would have connected with without them. People who live in other states or even other countries. Because I was introduced to these people, I was also introduced to classes and workshops that helped me open my brain.
That is pretty amazing!
But I’m sure most of us can agree that social media has a dark side.
The drama (and cliques).
The misinformation.
Information bubbles.
And again – Time suck!
It can be draining.
Then, if you add on top of the drain with feeling like you need to create content consistently. It can get downright overwhelming.
I always kind of enjoyed creating posts. I liked using Canva to create graphics and images. I liked scheduling them out. And I especially liked engaging with people who commented on my posts.
I would batch similar posts, like the writing/journaling prompts I used to post every Monday. I created six weeks of posts and scheduled them out. It was nice that I didn’t have to think about those posts for several weeks, but when I did have to think about it again, it no longer felt fun. It was a chore.
One day, Instagram tried to force me to verify something – I can’t even remember what it was, something small and insignificant – and my reaction was, “Nope. I’m done.” I deleted IG from my phone, the last of the socials to survive there and stopped checking on any of them from any device.
A couple of times I thought I would just pop on from my computer to see what’s happening, but every time I started to log in, my fingers stopped moving on the keyboard and I would reach for my mouse and maneuver the little arrow up to the corner and click on that X to close the window.
I just couldn’t face it. I was completely burnt out.
I filled my journal pages with scribbles about the when, how, and why, of social media. What I learned from all the internal questioning was I was not showing up as me. I was showing up as “Professional” me (whatever “professional” means). I am trying to run a business, so I was trying to be “business-like” (again, whatever that means). I wasn’t allowing myself to have much fun.
My new approach to social media is FUN. And a bit of an experiment. I want to have fun on social media and in my business. I’m showing up when I want, though still consistently throughout the week.
I returned slowly. Mostly commenting and liking other people’s posts. Then I started sharing a few. Next, I began to post random things on my IG stories. A picture of my tomato plant, a flower, maybe a thought I had. Now, I am fully back, trying different things and having fun. Grid be damned!
My main focus has turned to my email community. The people in my community get first, and sometimes exclusive dibs on what I share. For example, the community received several journal prompts surrounding social media when I shared this post with them. You can join us!
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by social media, there’s no shame in taking a break. We’ll still be around when you get back – unless we also decided to take a break, in which we wouldn’t see your posts anyway.
So, take the break!
Even if it is an all night one. (< play on the continued quote above – seriously, take as long as you need/want!)
Have you taken a social media break?