I snapped this picture while I was walking around Town Lake on a sunny afternoon.
It’s not a particularly flattering photo, but I love it because I felt SO much joy on this day, I just couldn’t help myself from grinning from ear to ear while I was walking. “Do I look completely ridiculous right now, smiling this big goofy grin while I’m walking solo?” I thought. So I snapped a selfie, and…yup. Ridiculous. But so, so happy.
I just took a month (maybe longer? I’m actually not sure..) off of blogging and social media. I’m no stranger to social media breaks. I took one for a quick maternity leave after both of my boys were born, in 2019 and then in 2021.
Over the summer I finished breastfeeding Dayton, my youngest, and I felt like I needed to unplug.
The noise of social media is a constant sound in my head. Social media is part fun, part job. I really love it for the connection it provides to friends both near and far. I also get paid for my social media (occasionally brands will sponsor me on paid instagram posts), and so there’s a sense of obligation to my social media, too.
So I took a break, and I feel really excited about being back on the instagram app! I miss it when I’m away, and there are so many parts of it that I truly love. I feel a bit more inspired and invigorated to create content, versus before my break when I just felt blah.
Here’s why I really love taking social media breaks, though:
Nothing bad happens when I take a social media break.
I have this idea that I can’t or shouldn’t take a break. I think “what if everyone forgets about me” or “what if I miss out on some HUGE event” or “what if I lose a ton of money from ignoring brand partnerships for a month?”
And none of that happens. Finances are fine. Social connections are fine. I text or see the friends that I have in my life, and the other ones are still there on social media when I return.
“But that’s not true!” you might be saying to yourself. “That’s not how my world works – I literally can’t just unplug from the online world for an entire month.” And that what my mind likes to tell me, too. I get it!
But you actually can unplug if you feel like you want to. Of course, it’s not bad to plan and budget for it (I booked this break about 4 months ago when I was able to estimate when I would be done breastfeeding, and I anticipated the need for some time away. So I had time to plan my contracts around the break.)
I truly believe that if your soul is telling you that you need to take a break, it’s for the highest good for everyone in the world that you take that break. And it might take a bit of planning, and it might be a different length of time than my break, but I wholeheartedly believe that you can unplug from online world or a bit and everything will be ok when you come back.
Also, I’ve often found that I imagine that I need/want a looong break, but after I unplug for 24 hours I feel fine. So if you’re not in the place where you’re ready for a long break, try turning your phone off all day on Sunday. Tell yourself you’re taking a month off and live the entire day as if there’s no social media in your future, and just see how you feel. And even if you turn it back on when Monday morning rolls around, you’ll probably feel a little bit lighter, clearer, and more excited about the space.
Have you ever taken a prolonged and purpose-filled social media break?
