December 19, 2024 I logged off social media planning to fast until the first of the year. Social media had become a huge distraction and an addiction. My phone was in my hand way too often, and I found myself aimlessly scrolling for hours.
While some of the content was absolutely entertaining, I found that some of it was making me question the success of my own life, gasp! Seeing others “thriving” while trying to rebuild the fragmented pieces of my life after a five year storm. Imposter syndrome? Not me, but it was definitely me. Then I started looking at my age and said out loud, “I’m 45 and still don’t know what I wanna be when I grow up”. Chile, a whole mess!
For weeks prior to the 19th I had been hearing God say to me, “disconnect to reconnect”, and I immediately knew what it was related to, but I ignored it. The longer I ignored it, the more things in my everyday life started to go just a tad left. I needed to recalibrate.
The day I decided to log off, I made no grand announcement of my departure. No “under spiritual maintenance” cover photos because guess what, the break was for me, not everybody else.
Day 1, I was okay but it definitely made me realize just how addicted I was to the scroll! Every few minutes I was looking for my phone to see if I had a notification, a message, something. I was checking everything just to satisfy that itch. Checking my email, bank accounts, the calendar and the weather. I even played candy crush. I turned off all notifications to every single app and titled the folder “DISTRACTION”.
By the end of week one, it had gotten better, but the need for a distraction was still very much present. In that first week I started filling my time with other things. I started picking up my Bible as much as I picked up my phone. I journaled. I watched new movies, which was way out of the ordinary for me. I prayed and I planned. I declutterred my space, my phone and my mind. While cleaning out the over 28,000 photos in my phone, I came across a photo from my very first blog. The year was 2018.
I was blogging weekly. I was posting blogs and recipes. Topics varied, but the consistency was praise worthy. I was also posting on Instagram. April 9, 2019, I celebrated 100 blogs written. Things were going well, then I hit a plateau. My blog, nor my social media presence was growing and I became discouraged. So discouraged because in my mind, I thought I’d be able to make this content creation gig my full time job. Later that year, my father became sick and the top of 2020 things became less and less consistent. 2019-2024 was a complete blur.
After going through everything I was posting, old blogs, photos, the traveling, the laughs, etc… I truly remembered why I began blogging to begin with. It all began as a form of free therapy, a way of escape from depression and anxiety, and to come out of my shell (contrary to popular belief, I’m quite shy). I wanted to share my experiences to help myself first and someone else going through the same thing. Then I realized that I’d lost touch with the purpose attached to why I began.
January 1st rolled around and I did not log back on. I needed more time. The break brought me immense clarity. It allowed me time to reflect on the things that truly bring me joy. Writing, taking photos, fashion, spending time with those I love and JESUS! I said to myself, “you have a whole platform. Get back to what makes you happy! With that being said, is this the rebirth of the blog? Yes, yes it is. Stay tuned and share with a friend. I promise you, it won’t disappoint. There’s truly something for everyone.
Monday January 6th I logged back on, but with a different mindset and a bit more discipline. To anyone out there feeling overwhelmed by social media, it’s okay to log off. I promise you, it’ll be there when you get back, unless it’s TikTok 🤣 Update…that’s now back since writing this blog!
Until next time…🦋
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