TAKING A BREAK FROM SOCIAL MEDIA
Did you sometimes feel overwhelmed by social media? Well, I felt that too. Lately, I have become a bit overwhelmed being on social media because of my daily posting routine. I did this not for personal but business reasons. No one forced me to do it; it was my choice.
In the past, social media was something that I wasn’t interested in, and it took me a while to step into social platforms. I dared to do it as I wanted people to know about my services, share my knowledge, and support them on their journey. So, as a holistic practitioner, energy healer, spiritual teacher, and mentor, it was essential to be seen and heard on social media, post different spiritual topics, and teach alternative ways of healing.
I loved sharing healing tips, spiritual tools, and practices and was happy to see people commenting on my posts. However, lately, I have felt the pressure to post every day. And this mainly came from seeing others with similar businesses posting not just once a day but maybe a few times. I wanted to follow their process and post daily on Instagram and Facebook.
Posting became a compulsory daily routine. It was something that I had to do, not that I could do.
Every morning, after my meditation and connection with Mother Nature, I used to ask myself – what should I post today? The strange thing was that I felt employed by Instagram, and I must do my work and post something. I became a bit anxious and overwhelmed as, some days, I didn’t feel like posting. It became a chore. These emotions triggered me to do something and change how I interacted on social media.
I sit in meditation and listen to my heart, my intuition. The message I received was to take a break from social media and see how I feel about that.
So last month, on the first of August, I decided to take a break for Facebook and Instagram. I wasn’t sure how long it would last. Once I logged off from the apps, I committed not to log in again. I felt relieved and more relaxed from the first day of not posting because I didn’t have to prepare a post.
I started to feel like having more freedom and time without looking at the clock and under pressure to post.
I was never keen to schedule my posts in advance because I wanted to post something each day based on my energy, my feelings, and what my intuition guided me to post. I wanted my posts to be meaningful and the messages to be inspirational. I hoped that in doing so, people could feel my energy, resonate with my posts, and be inspired and empowered. For this reason, some days took me more than an hour to do a post. And this was on top of my other daily activities.
Suddenly I had this extra time and wondered what to do with it. I was used to doing something all the time and was looking to fill up my spare time with something else. During my meditation, I connected with my heart and received another message:
‘You don’t always have to do something. Do nothing, absolutely nothing. Have this time off just by yourself, be in stillness, silence, and, if possible, out in nature. Meditate, and do your inner work. Learn more about yourself. Enjoy the freedom. Enjoy this time without any pressure.’
So, day after day, I started to embrace my newly acquired free time and enjoyed not having the pressure to do something. But to be honest, I sometimes missed connecting with my friends and seeing their posts. I also missed seeing posts from other spiritual leaders and teachers. Regardless, I stayed strong and did what I could to enjoy my free time.
Towards the end of the month, I felt that I could go back on social media, but on different terms. I could only post when I wanted to and share meaningful content, beautiful images of nature, my pet, or anything that brought joy to my heart. So now, after a month’s break, I am ready to go back and see how I go.
I’ll do my best to follow my heart, look after my soul and keep balance and peace in my life without feeling overwhelmed or anxious.
This break was fantastic. It taught me to accept ‘free’ time and enjoy doing nothing. It changed my social media interactions, and I feel this new way of posting will make me feel relaxed and joyful. So based on my experience, I encourage you to take a break from social media, short or long, whatever it feels right for you. You will be surprised by the benefits this break will give you. You will feel much lighter, relaxed, and joyful and will gain more clarity. You will enjoy your life even more because you do what you love, without pressure, burden, competition, or fear of not having enough time. You will make better choices on all levels. And these choices come from your heart if you have peace, joy, and balance in your life.
******Daniela is a Spiritual Teacher & Mentor, Intuitive Guide and the founder of Heart and Soul Expansion an exquisite spiritual healing solution. She runs regular online and in-person courses on Personal and Spiritual development and loves being of service to others to bring more peace, love and compassion into the world. Visit Daniela’s Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/danielagodfreymentor/ and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/daniela__godfrey/
