Instagram hiatus
I haven't been writing, aside from my Colombia trip, it has been a little over a month since I've posted.. so why not start by writing about my brief little pause from social media and the internet. I didn’t want to announce my hiatus; that seemed counter-intuitive and honestly, I found it liberating to just let it go. The reason isn't very clear I think social media just got overwhelming and with my mom's birthday around the corner, Instagram (especially) felt unimportant. I wanted to revive my mental control. It wasn't about self-esteem or paying more attention to life. I guess I needed to see whether I was taking photos and going out because I enjoyed it or because I felt like that's what I needed to share. I told myself “I am not going back until I feel like I am back.” At the drop of a hat, I deleted everything, granted it was only for a few weeks, but at the time it felt like I ventured off into unknown territory. The thought “Oh sh*t, what if I miss something really important?” actually never crossed my mind. I was surprised.
Will It allow you to be more present.
I will say yes to this. Not that I stop listening to friends because I'm too busy watching a video or something. But after taking a photo or video I felt the need to post it right away... and for what? I realized when I stopped posting that I truly love taking artsy photos and scenic shots. Snapping a photo and then continuing my day was so liberating. So I chose to continue that habit and not post right away.
will It make you happier.
Being completely cut off? Probably not. I definitely love to keep in touch with friends and random people on social media. I try to text, call, and comment as much I can. I never thought I was missing out on the moments or obsessed with a social media addiction. For me, it was just overwhelming and a little self-conscious of what I was posting, how often I was posting, whether I was being judged for who I am or the assumptions drawn from what I post. After cutting off for a little bit, I realized I like what I post, I enjoy taking photos, I enjoy the design and aesthetics of it all. I post for me and that makes me happy.
Social Media will always be around.
I’m not saying this because I think everyone should get offline, but rather because, if you are like me, feeling like the noise of social media is a little deafening and you want to break away, I’m here to tell you yes. Even if it’s just a week or a month, you might learn something about why you do what you do and share what you share. The fact is that social media will still be here, for decades to come. And most importantly, I’m telling you this to remind you that you are more amazing than the number likes on your last post, I guarantee it.
It helped? I am back so it did help, but I did feel anxiety the first day I tried posting again.
It has been crazy hot in NYC lately – which calls for the lightest of layers (even when we don’t want to be in shorts). A great pair of loose trousers can be just the piece you need to keep cool when running around the city.
