Am I am the only one who gets exhausted by social media? I have no excuse for my absence. Social media is NEEDY and I needed a break. That's it.
I'm not going to lie though, it feels good to sit behind this keyboard and get back in front of the camera. This truly is my happy place. Let's see... what's happened since we last talked.... I got engaged, got married, launched my very own online boutique (The Styleyard), had a second child just to name a few! LOL
While I'm not yet driving my dream car or parking in the dream garage of my dream home, I have no complaints. I'm alive and healthy, with a beautiful, healthy and loving family. Here's a quick photo dump I thought you might enjoy!
I'm sure I'll go into detail on a few of these events, like my travels, but this will do for now. With all of these life changing events, I actually felt as though I kinda lost myself. Mainly, after having my second child, but mama is back like I never left! With that being said, I'll keep this one short and sweet. Check out a few takeaways from "going off the grid" and deets on the look below.
Five takeaways from my social media hiatus
One. You will have two hands again.
Yes, mornings, down time, and bathroom breaks will be a lot different without scrolling, but it's really not that bad. Living in the moment is so much nicer. Just because you didn't get a picture or video, doesn't mean it didn't happen.
Two. You can stop comparing.
As I look at my timeline, there is that much beautiful work being put out there that it’s hard not to step back and feel like what we're producing just isn’t cutting it. But we all start in different places and grow at different paces. I didn’t feel pressure to post or take pretty pictures or come up with snappy captions. I just lived my life with intention and presence and didn’t look around me to see what others were doing. I didn’t have access!
During my hiatus, I looked back through my years of archives and the growth was so obvious! So for now I’ll keep on doing what I’ve been doing. The only thing I can control is the effort and heart I put into my own work and content.
Three. You get to do your own research.
This break really showed me that I got 99.9% of my news from social media (Don't judge LOL). I was literally being fed whatever "they" wanted the masses to know. Fortunately, I went "off the grid" right before COVID made it's debut in the U.S., so I was able to do my own research, filter what I was told, and honestly, I was able to experience little to no fear while doing what was best for my family, by the grace of God.
Four. Your real relationships will grow stronger.
This one is bitter sweet, because I was able to see what I loved and what I hated about being on social media. One thing I did miss was Facebook reminding me of everyone's birthdays! Not being on social media encouraged me to reach out to those close to me directly and more often. Since I wasn't able to rely on big announcements via social media posts, I either got the news before everyone else or sometimes after (I wouldn't have known anyway ha!) And I definitely loved missing the depressing and bad news posts that come with no warning or disclaimer.
My relationship with God definitely got stronger and with that I know there's a hedge of protection around my family, friends, and myself. Even my immediate relationships got closer. I can't even lie, my group chats and girls nights are LIT and well I mean, ya girl did get engaged, married, and had another child during this, so...... yeah.
Five. You don’t have to give everyone access to you. Learn to say no.
This was freeing for me. I’m the type of person who often struggles to say no, but thankfully, my life has actually forced me to get better at this. I've had to choose to say no to some things, so that I can say yes to the best things! It’s crucial to set boundaries so that we can always do what matters most. Loving Jesus. Loving people. Fully present.
Moving forward, I will be mindful of how I use social media. It has its pros and cons, but if you ask me would I go "off the grid" again, the answer is YES!
Still learning to live with social media,
Wearing: Thrifted print set| Shein earrings| Violet Shoetique Nude Steppers