After two years of being on social media daily, I simply got burned out. I posted over 5k posts on IG and Facebook, mostly inspirational memes and pictures of my two precious black cats, Kings Salem and Minky. I did enjoy it early in the morning, evenings and on weekends, but after a couple of years, I need a long break. Indefinitely.
In addition to my ministry I have a full time career which I absolutely love that keeps me more than busy. Considering all my personal pursuits, it only makes sense that I have to be intentional where I spend my free time.
What is social media burn out, you ask? When you feel drained and distracted by it, overwhelmed, have invested more time than is probably good for you, perhaps have lost interest or just want to refocus due to engaging in so much screen time.
Even though my goals were to spread joy, happiness and love, it still took an emotional toll. Social media is never all roses... even when you do things to change the algorithms like hiding posts. When it consumes your time, it affects part of your psyche too.
I closed my Twitter account because it really never got any traction. My personal IG account with a small audience is deactivated for now. My primary following is on Facebook. With over 4,000 followers I recently did a year end sweep to edit my friends list and removed a third of it based on engagement and content. It was during this process along with the New Year that I had the realization how much I needed a change.
My personal account on FB is still there along with both pages for Bohemian Queen and my ministry. However am taking a break on my personal profile. Although I post some content to my Bohemian Queen and ministry pages, it is much less time consuming. My focus has shifted to my blogs. I still care about my family and friends, however want to connect in a different and meaningful way in 2023!
Don't get me wrong, I think social media can be a great thing and networking tool. As any user knows, it also has its drawbacks.
We all know the benefits. Staying connected, sharing pics, birthday well wishes, sharing milestones and making new friends. The cons are the detractors. The drama, negativity, bullying, humongous time suck (it is designed to be addictive), and sometimes comparing your life to others.
Keep in mind many people only post the good stuff, keeping some things private (not a bad thing!) and some folks overshare (yikes!). You should not compare yourself to anyone else. We are all on our own journey in our own timing. And social media is not a real gauge of other's lives regardless.
Honestly I do not know when or if I will want to post, scroll or get back on my personal page, but am in no hurry. It is okay for it to sit there with a social media vacation notice. It is not going anywhere. My desire right now is to be in real life, focus on my goals and connecting in person with family and friends.
To me social media can be a detached way to feel like you are connecting, but falls short in so many ways. Emoticons replace nuances, tone and the depth of real emotions. People are hyper aware of what is shared and seen. What is posted and commented is an edited version and often misunderstandings can happen, understandably. Some keyboard warriors literally make war when they might not act the same way face to face with strangers. In short, it is not real life and can be toxic.
There have been times when I closed personal accounts down before in the past and took a year or more off. Now that I have my additional pages I don't want to close the account because they are tied to it. Plus I have made some wonderful friends all over the USA and in other countries. We still keep in touch via Messenger. I have thousands of inspirational posts hanging out there that can be shared. That mission to spread some light was accomplished!
Right after New Years Eve I had this epiphany. If I want to meet my personal goals this year, I need to be even more purposeful with my time. Time is one of the most valuable resources we have! In the past, efforts to refocus my time have made an impactful difference.
Over the past few years my happiness factor went up significantly after not watching the news and reducing the amount of time spent watching TV shows. You would be amazed at what you can accomplish by simply turning off the tele. In order to keep up with current events I have a news app to scroll the headlines. That is about all I need. Most news is depressing and we were not really made to absorb all the woes of the world. It can be a similar situation with the negativity on social media. Oftentimes the best thing you can do is give yourself a break from it.
This year my focus is on my blogs, working on my master's degree in Metaphysical Science, getting back into my hobbies and continuing to write my first self-help book. Art, photography and poetry are pursuits that bring me joy and making time for them is important to me. My passion and purpose this year includes freeing up time to do more things that matter to me. I love helping others and will continue to do so, with some important "me time" included as well.
Here I come 2023, full speed ahead with bells on! God is in my corner and the Universe whispered in my ear, hey you, this is the time to start making even more fantastic things happen!
If you feel like you may be burned out from social media or just need a vacay from it, go ahead and hang that closed sign in the window. Freedom from social media feels like like a drive to the beach in a convertible, hair blowing in the wind and the music playing loud. Follow your bliss to whatever makes you smile!
xo Love Bohemian Queen