Shop this photo here

So I thought this blog post was fitting considering I just took 2 days off from social media/work. I don’t remember the last time I did this (if ever), but I can honestly say it was much needed. It reminded me of how important it is to take a step away from work, and social media especially. I hadn’t necessarily planned to take time off, but sometimes that’s just how it goes.  All of the sudden the burnout hits you and you’re like I need to take a step back for my own sanity lol.

I feel like taking time off work is important, but today I thought I’d chat more about taking time off social media and how to know when it’s time to take a break. For me, since my job is social media it can be tricky to set boundaries but I know they are very much needed. I sometimes catch myself saying, “oh well I need to be on because it’s my job” but in reality I could be using my time on social much more intentionally.

What really prompted me to take a break was I was just feeling so uninspired and unmotivated. Instead of getting on stories and sharing content that I felt was either helpful or entertaining, I just felt like I had nothing to say. Instead of going out to shoot photos because I felt inspired to share, I was just taking photos to take photos. So ultimately I was like, I don’t need to force this. I understand that motivation isn’t always going to be there, and most of the time I just push through it. However, there are moments where you need to just accept how you’re feeling and take a step back to re-evaluate. I understand that I’m in a unique position since this is my job, however, there are other things I am guilty of doing on a daily basis that are not the healthiest regarding my social media usage. You may be catching yourself doing some of these things as well:

-Checking social media when you’re still in bed, right when you wake up

-Mindlessly scrolling

-Looking through content that doesn’t inspire you but instead makes you feel unmotivated or upset.

-Checking your phone during meals

-Opening Instagram without even thinking about it

I will admit that I am guilty of all of these things. And I didn’t even realize how much it was impacting my day to day until I took those 2 days off. During these 2 days I was actually present during dinners with Stephen, I was in bed by 9pm and actually read my book for an hour, I woke up not checking my phone right away, I actually took time in the mornings to prioritize me vs. jumping on social right away, and I re-focused what my priorities are for my brand and business. At the end of these 2 days, I was like wow–maybe I should do this more often!

That being said, I understand it’s not possible for me to take social media hiatuses all the time because after all it is my job and I do love it! However, it made me realize how many more boundaries I can put into place that will be better for myself, my job, and for Stephen. So, if you’re like me and need to set some boundaries from time to time, here are some things we can do:

-Use your phone with intention. Think why do you want to get on your phone? Do you need to look something up? Do you want to check if someone that you follow posted something new? (PS. You can turn on post notifications for certain accounts this way you don’t have to randomly get on your phone to check) Do you need to send an email?

-Be aware of when you’re mindlessly scrolling. This kind of goes with the point above. Are you using your phone with purpose or just scrolling to scroll?

-Unfollow (or mute) people who aren’t bringing you inspiration or joy. I started unfollowing so many accounts–not because I have anything personally against them but half the people I didn’t even know why I was following them (much less who they were lol) or they weren’t bringing me any joy or inspiration.

-Don’t bring your phone to the table during meals. When you’re phone isn’t in arms reach you can actually be present during meals and aren’t tempted to get on it.

-Be okay with leaving your phone at home. I get it’s not realistic (or safe –crime junkie mind here lol) to leave your phone at home when you’re going out. If I did that and didn’t have google maps, I’d probably never make it home! But if you’re going out for a walk, leave your phone behind so you aren’t tempted to check it. Or sometimes if Stephen and I are going out, I’ll leave my phone in the car so I’m not tempted to document/be on it all the time 😉

I’m not saying that these are always realistic to implement but I feel like they are great things to be mindful of, especially if you’re really experience some of the “symptoms” of being on social media too much 🙂 Have any of y’all ever felt like you’ve needed a social media detox? xxC