Who Am I Without Social Media?
This was the challenge I proposed to myself for the month of June. I specifically chose this month because A)I would be doing a lot of traveling and I knew that I “needed” to be doing so much sharing - but did I? and B)I’ve been talking about it for ages, so finally I decided to just get it over with. And guess what - I’m still alive. I’m still valuable. I’m still relevant. I’m still here. I’m still creating. I’m still connecting with like minded individuals on the topics of body image, mindset, and photography. But in addition to that, I’m also doing so much more. This will be part 1 as we are half way through the month, and upon the completion of the project/month I will share the overall takeaways and lessons learned!
While I did find myself checking on Facebook and instagram a few times over the month, what I noticed is that every time I logged in I became inundated with feelings of inadequacy, fomo, anger, and frustration. I also noticed how much time I was able to let go of in the name of a quick distraction. Needless to say, I became aware of what was happening and told myself to get off of there and either blog, meditate or read. It’s interesting though, because I’ve been working and traveling that I still photograph as though I am going to post (whether here or on social). Will I end up sharing everything in my stories? Probably not. I might just save all that content for the folks that subscribe to my All Access Pass or share a few bits and bobs on here/the newsletter.
As a result of removing ONE area of distraction, it has made the other areas more pronounced: shopping & eating. While I don’t usually shop too much whilst I am traveling, I have come to recognize how much anxiety I have around food: whether when I will be eating or if it will be available or where we will be eating, etc. It takes up A LOT of my mental energy and I realize that’s something I will need to work through sooner than later. While I knew that I struggled with binge eating, it wasn’t so evident as it has become this last year and especially now that I have removed a source of distraction. So, the question becomes What am I afraid of? and that’s for my journal and me to figure out (I promise I will share once I get through it!)
While I don’t miss social media for the negative stuff, I have been missing the ability to share with my friends, family, and colleagues. I miss have a central line of communication for the folks that need to maybe hear my message and take in the images that I put out into the world. I miss hearing people’s stories and experiences and I really, really miss chatting with people in the Beyond the Body group. As a result, I started a text platform to connect me with the folks who want to hear from me on a more personal level a few times a month. At this time it’s only available for US & Canada residents, but hopefully they will open it up soon! In the meantime, if you have a US or Canadian phone number, text beyondthebody to 888-465-4604 and get ready for some lovin’ in your texts!
I have more to share on my social media experiment as the month is still a few weeks away from being over - but for now I wanted to leave a little update to let you know that one CAN survive without access to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc. You are still a valuable, glorious human. You ARE relevant to the folks who need you the most and taking yourself off of social media won’t make that go away. As of right now, I can see myself implementing specific “social media” times like I do when I blog/do photoshoots/do consultations/etc. Instead of making it an all day thing, I think having it become a tool instead of a life line is going to be really important.
