Initially, I loved social media because it allowed me to reconnect with friends from high school and to see what my cousin was up to thousands of miles away. Over time, I noticed I was less present in the moment because I focused on capturing the best picture to post and seeing how many likes I received. I also noticed that I was reading less, which is something I really enjoy.
My turning point was when I noticed a big uptick in nasty and unnecessarily rude comments on people's posts. As an empath I noticed how much yhe negativity affects me and others, so I took most social media apps off my phone. Now, I limit my time and only on my laptop. This helped me detox from the need to constantly check social media, especially when I'm bored. My daughter and I plan electronic free days and focus on art or nature. Our moods increase substantially on those days.
However, my biggest hurdle now is finding connection with other people. I think between the covid lock down and social media people aren't doing as much around the community as they did in the past. I also noticed people are on edge more often and easily triggered. So there have been less than desirable things happen during the community events.
Because I crave peace, I like many others, I find myself desiring the quiet life, to tend to a beautiful garden, to create a home that is a refuge from negativity.
Media was juts about keeping in touch with the people you don’t see often. Sharing personal photos and images. Now it seems that you can’t share anything without thinking about the likes it might get. And everyone is headlining a business with their personal lives. It makes a show out of everything that used to be simple, and beautiful, and shared with the people around you. How often we see people staring at their phones, into a virtual reality rather than looking into the eyes of the person sitting across from them. It’s awful. And it’s impacted me greatly. I think my nervous system is fried from scrolling to stay ‘connected’
2 things I would say as a child-I told my mom technology will tear us apart and I rather have a hug than a hundred dollar bill any day. I don’t know why I said such things. Anyway, I remember my first Apple computer when I was seven. The green turtle on my screen. I remember loving the trees, the stars, the animals in my backyard more. I remember AOL chat rooms in my teens then MySpace in my 20s, and then Facebook took over our lives. For a moment I loved it- in the beginning years- for my business and my personal life. Then it became disenchanting for me. I felt it messing with my intuition. And it just did feel real anymore. Even a woman I took a training with said you need Facebook- social media-to be successful in business. I didn’t believe her. Still don’t. I did have a successful practice by word of mouth and local advertising. I couldn’t keep up my social media- my hands on practice, face to face sessions, holding small workshops and taking care of me. I was a one woman show- trying to help others be in the present moment. I was watching the world around me on their phones, my own family, my own friends. I was thinking what is happening to us. I began questioning what does that word friend mean to us now? I said goodbye to most of my social media a while back. I didn’t feel cool enough anymore for social. I wanted to meet people and find out about events the good ole fashioned way. I wanted my intuition to lead me to who need I may meet or where I may go. I wanted to find out about things word of mouth. I felt liberated when I said goodbye to social. Intuition or algorithm?
I am overwhelmed. The internet overwhelms me more. I come here more often unfortunately because I’m trying to understand things happening in the world and make sure I am not crazy. And isolation from health challenges. I also like to see if my past expanders (those who inspire me) still align with me. As so much use to make sense, and then it began not too and things changed, people changed. I do think social media has its advantages, but for me there are more disadvantages. But I did find Mark Groves on IG and I became a podcast junkie. My nervous system can’t keep up with everyone else anymore. For a while. I strive for human connection in person. I love what I read in a book by Dr Chatterjee. It’s the 3D greeting. I love it. Check it out.
I started looking at social media like other areas of my life, it was taking more from me than giving. In a world where our default is to feel inadequate social platforms only further this feeling inside of us. My energy is sacred and I am evolving into someone that has much more awareness around where my energy goes, social media is an endless pit where the other party has only one goal. Keep me engaged. I’m giving that energy and time back to myself in ways that nourish me. I am moving on from the platforms like I am moving on from other relationships that aren’t serving me anymore
I love this. I feel the exact same way. Like our creative energy is being siphoned away so we don’t have the energy for bigger impact on the ground. IG has come to feel very Martix-y to me.
Your decision to leave was monumental for me. Hearing you talk about it made every cell in my body activate with excitement and truth. I knew I would leave as well but I wasn’t sure when.
I don’t have a massive following but I was trying to do my business on there. I had plans to use it to transition and promote other platforms or my newsletter. However, last Thursday in the evening I found myself scrolling and I personally had been dealing with some emotional stuff that needed to be dealt with but instead I was numbing and distracting. I caught myself and realized I had enough. I closed my eyes for a moment and asked my body…was the time now? And it was a screaming yes. I deactivated it in that moment.
Of course it’s not “deleted” but I have never “disappeared”. I truly feel like my brain needs to heal, I want to be more here, I want to grab my phone less, I want to get more done. And I also want to connect back to the earth, to live for my body, breath, the people around me and the earth beneath my feet. I don’t want to constantly be taking pictures to “capture” the life I’m half living and brag about it for other people to see. As well as constantly be jealous or in comparison of everyone else I’m seeing.
I do notice the good parts about it I miss, such as educational content, community I have made or met through social media, recipes, fun travel tips, funny memes between friends, etc. I just know there is more life for me to experience and a soul calling to go deeper, to detach from this “profile” that has been a part of my life now for over 10 years. I’m excited to see what is birthed from this!
I live on a tiny island in Mexico near Cancun. It’s a small community of about 15k. I walk most places. And I’m out and about every day. Every time I walk somewhere I see someone I know. At the very least, we wave and greet each other. Often, we stop, kiss on the cheek and hug and chat for a few moments. Sometimes, a walk of 10 minutes becomes 30 minutes because of who I run into along the way.
We check on each other when the other is sick. We bring food or medicine or whatever is needed or wanted. We support our neighbors when they need it and know they’ll support us when we need it.
It’s far from perfect here, of course. But that’s my antidote to social media and working remotely. I am very privileged and very grateful to be part of this community. And live on the ocean.
I do rely on social media. That’s how we get much of our news here. It’s how I keep my finger in what’s going on with my friends and family in the States. I earn my living working with clients through conference calls and logging into their systems.
But when the hate and vitriol and disconnection and remoteness of online starts to get to me, I get to walk outside and immediately connect with nature and people.
Working in holistic psychology, I’m seeing everyday the impact this has on brain chemistry and human attachment, and it scares me because I think to be deeply motivated to care for one another and our planet we have to first FEEL our connection to humanity & nature. Like feel it inside our bodies. We can’t just think it. But the screens are disconnecting us from that palpable felt sense. What’s also tragic is that connection our felt sense is required for us to feel ALIVE. To be able to sense what our natural design needs to be balanced & well. When that’s dampened, depression & disorder most certainly follow. In my own life, I’m seeing more impact occurring in close-knit, like-minded community who work together to impact their little corner of the world. And I can’t help but wonder if that is a more effective path forward.
I just took a month break from socials and although I feel an inner eagerness to communicate again I sense a resistance. I’ve been much better off writing in my own world and working on my introspection and incubation than attempting to keep up with the world. My use of social media last year because a platform to share my work and to define my offering and most times I went on it it was to post vs consuming, I believe there is good quality content out there and I also believe I’ve shared some not so bad ones but I also feel like I’m giving something away. So for now when I do get back to it it will be from a place of full intentionality. I’ve enjoyed Substack for the freedom to express myself and for now there’s no expectation of who will read me.
I love this post. I agree with so much of what you said. Why do we have to remind ourselves to step back into nature? I laughed to myself when I read it because I am finding I have to make an effort to take breaks in between sessions and go outside instead of “getting something done on my computer” or “killing time by going on IG for 10 minutes.” What if I chose to pause and breathe in and out during that time instead?
I find myself justifying the necessity to connect to my device at times and also wanting to get rid of it because I hate the attachment I have formed to it. Even when I have time to unwind, I notice that I even have to use my phone to meditate because I am relying on an app or a timer to take me through this transformative experience.
I let go of my Instagram in 2021 for 8 months to study for my clinical exam and also make an out of state move. That time away was incredible and I’m still wondering why I came back. I’m currently taking time off between now and after September to not use instagram while I get ready for my wedding. I wonder why I need a milestone to justify why I don’t need to have a social media presence.
I talk to so many people who agree and some say their dream is to “go off grid and live on a farm.”
I don’t have the answer and I’m still trying to reconcile with these mixed thoughts and feelings I am facing internally. And at the same time, I love that this platform exists for us to be able to openly have this conversation.
I will continue to reflect and challenge myself to get out of my comfort zone. Technology has also brought a lot of convenience to my life. I am grateful and also have to remind myself that I survived before all of this convenience existed. I also don’t need to know about everyone else’s lives. I can let go of my FOMO and remain present in my life so I don’t miss out on the many gifts in my own life that are priceless.
Initially, I loved social media because it allowed me to reconnect with friends from high school and to see what my cousin was up to thousands of miles away. Over time, I noticed I was less present in the moment because I focused on capturing the best picture to post and seeing how many likes I received. I also noticed that I was reading less, which is something I really enjoy.
My turning point was when I noticed a big uptick in nasty and unnecessarily rude comments on people's posts. As an empath I noticed how much yhe negativity affects me and others, so I took most social media apps off my phone. Now, I limit my time and only on my laptop. This helped me detox from the need to constantly check social media, especially when I'm bored. My daughter and I plan electronic free days and focus on art or nature. Our moods increase substantially on those days.
However, my biggest hurdle now is finding connection with other people. I think between the covid lock down and social media people aren't doing as much around the community as they did in the past. I also noticed people are on edge more often and easily triggered. So there have been less than desirable things happen during the community events.
Because I crave peace, I like many others, I find myself desiring the quiet life, to tend to a beautiful garden, to create a home that is a refuge from negativity.
I miss the days when social
Media was juts about keeping in touch with the people you don’t see often. Sharing personal photos and images. Now it seems that you can’t share anything without thinking about the likes it might get. And everyone is headlining a business with their personal lives. It makes a show out of everything that used to be simple, and beautiful, and shared with the people around you. How often we see people staring at their phones, into a virtual reality rather than looking into the eyes of the person sitting across from them. It’s awful. And it’s impacted me greatly. I think my nervous system is fried from scrolling to stay ‘connected’
2 things I would say as a child-I told my mom technology will tear us apart and I rather have a hug than a hundred dollar bill any day. I don’t know why I said such things. Anyway, I remember my first Apple computer when I was seven. The green turtle on my screen. I remember loving the trees, the stars, the animals in my backyard more. I remember AOL chat rooms in my teens then MySpace in my 20s, and then Facebook took over our lives. For a moment I loved it- in the beginning years- for my business and my personal life. Then it became disenchanting for me. I felt it messing with my intuition. And it just did feel real anymore. Even a woman I took a training with said you need Facebook- social media-to be successful in business. I didn’t believe her. Still don’t. I did have a successful practice by word of mouth and local advertising. I couldn’t keep up my social media- my hands on practice, face to face sessions, holding small workshops and taking care of me. I was a one woman show- trying to help others be in the present moment. I was watching the world around me on their phones, my own family, my own friends. I was thinking what is happening to us. I began questioning what does that word friend mean to us now? I said goodbye to most of my social media a while back. I didn’t feel cool enough anymore for social. I wanted to meet people and find out about events the good ole fashioned way. I wanted my intuition to lead me to who need I may meet or where I may go. I wanted to find out about things word of mouth. I felt liberated when I said goodbye to social. Intuition or algorithm?
I am overwhelmed. The internet overwhelms me more. I come here more often unfortunately because I’m trying to understand things happening in the world and make sure I am not crazy. And isolation from health challenges. I also like to see if my past expanders (those who inspire me) still align with me. As so much use to make sense, and then it began not too and things changed, people changed. I do think social media has its advantages, but for me there are more disadvantages. But I did find Mark Groves on IG and I became a podcast junkie. My nervous system can’t keep up with everyone else anymore. For a while. I strive for human connection in person. I love what I read in a book by Dr Chatterjee. It’s the 3D greeting. I love it. Check it out.
I started looking at social media like other areas of my life, it was taking more from me than giving. In a world where our default is to feel inadequate social platforms only further this feeling inside of us. My energy is sacred and I am evolving into someone that has much more awareness around where my energy goes, social media is an endless pit where the other party has only one goal. Keep me engaged. I’m giving that energy and time back to myself in ways that nourish me. I am moving on from the platforms like I am moving on from other relationships that aren’t serving me anymore
I love this. I feel the exact same way. Like our creative energy is being siphoned away so we don’t have the energy for bigger impact on the ground. IG has come to feel very Martix-y to me.
Your decision to leave was monumental for me. Hearing you talk about it made every cell in my body activate with excitement and truth. I knew I would leave as well but I wasn’t sure when.
I don’t have a massive following but I was trying to do my business on there. I had plans to use it to transition and promote other platforms or my newsletter. However, last Thursday in the evening I found myself scrolling and I personally had been dealing with some emotional stuff that needed to be dealt with but instead I was numbing and distracting. I caught myself and realized I had enough. I closed my eyes for a moment and asked my body…was the time now? And it was a screaming yes. I deactivated it in that moment.
Of course it’s not “deleted” but I have never “disappeared”. I truly feel like my brain needs to heal, I want to be more here, I want to grab my phone less, I want to get more done. And I also want to connect back to the earth, to live for my body, breath, the people around me and the earth beneath my feet. I don’t want to constantly be taking pictures to “capture” the life I’m half living and brag about it for other people to see. As well as constantly be jealous or in comparison of everyone else I’m seeing.
I do notice the good parts about it I miss, such as educational content, community I have made or met through social media, recipes, fun travel tips, funny memes between friends, etc. I just know there is more life for me to experience and a soul calling to go deeper, to detach from this “profile” that has been a part of my life now for over 10 years. I’m excited to see what is birthed from this!
I live on a tiny island in Mexico near Cancun. It’s a small community of about 15k. I walk most places. And I’m out and about every day. Every time I walk somewhere I see someone I know. At the very least, we wave and greet each other. Often, we stop, kiss on the cheek and hug and chat for a few moments. Sometimes, a walk of 10 minutes becomes 30 minutes because of who I run into along the way.
We check on each other when the other is sick. We bring food or medicine or whatever is needed or wanted. We support our neighbors when they need it and know they’ll support us when we need it.
It’s far from perfect here, of course. But that’s my antidote to social media and working remotely. I am very privileged and very grateful to be part of this community. And live on the ocean.
I do rely on social media. That’s how we get much of our news here. It’s how I keep my finger in what’s going on with my friends and family in the States. I earn my living working with clients through conference calls and logging into their systems.
But when the hate and vitriol and disconnection and remoteness of online starts to get to me, I get to walk outside and immediately connect with nature and people.
Working in holistic psychology, I’m seeing everyday the impact this has on brain chemistry and human attachment, and it scares me because I think to be deeply motivated to care for one another and our planet we have to first FEEL our connection to humanity & nature. Like feel it inside our bodies. We can’t just think it. But the screens are disconnecting us from that palpable felt sense. What’s also tragic is that connection our felt sense is required for us to feel ALIVE. To be able to sense what our natural design needs to be balanced & well. When that’s dampened, depression & disorder most certainly follow. In my own life, I’m seeing more impact occurring in close-knit, like-minded community who work together to impact their little corner of the world. And I can’t help but wonder if that is a more effective path forward.
Thank you for opening the conversation.
I just took a month break from socials and although I feel an inner eagerness to communicate again I sense a resistance. I’ve been much better off writing in my own world and working on my introspection and incubation than attempting to keep up with the world. My use of social media last year because a platform to share my work and to define my offering and most times I went on it it was to post vs consuming, I believe there is good quality content out there and I also believe I’ve shared some not so bad ones but I also feel like I’m giving something away. So for now when I do get back to it it will be from a place of full intentionality. I’ve enjoyed Substack for the freedom to express myself and for now there’s no expectation of who will read me.
I love this post. I agree with so much of what you said. Why do we have to remind ourselves to step back into nature? I laughed to myself when I read it because I am finding I have to make an effort to take breaks in between sessions and go outside instead of “getting something done on my computer” or “killing time by going on IG for 10 minutes.” What if I chose to pause and breathe in and out during that time instead?
I find myself justifying the necessity to connect to my device at times and also wanting to get rid of it because I hate the attachment I have formed to it. Even when I have time to unwind, I notice that I even have to use my phone to meditate because I am relying on an app or a timer to take me through this transformative experience.
I let go of my Instagram in 2021 for 8 months to study for my clinical exam and also make an out of state move. That time away was incredible and I’m still wondering why I came back. I’m currently taking time off between now and after September to not use instagram while I get ready for my wedding. I wonder why I need a milestone to justify why I don’t need to have a social media presence.
I talk to so many people who agree and some say their dream is to “go off grid and live on a farm.”
I don’t have the answer and I’m still trying to reconcile with these mixed thoughts and feelings I am facing internally. And at the same time, I love that this platform exists for us to be able to openly have this conversation.
I will continue to reflect and challenge myself to get out of my comfort zone. Technology has also brought a lot of convenience to my life. I am grateful and also have to remind myself that I survived before all of this convenience existed. I also don’t need to know about everyone else’s lives. I can let go of my FOMO and remain present in my life so I don’t miss out on the many gifts in my own life that are priceless.