Hey ,
In our last newsletter, I told you that I'd be sharing some of my self-sustaining practices and today I'm excited to share my first of many - managing my relationship with Instagram.
Social media is a topic that Takia and I have discussed in the past but my latest experience is a little different.
Six weeks ago, I completely deactivated my Instagram account. No matter how hard I tried to monitor my social media usage, I found myself mindlessly scrolling for hours everyday. Not only was I scrolling, I was also comparing myself to others and overthinking my own posts.
According to Brad Stulberg (one of our faves at the Growth Equation), there are two ways we share (and consume) content on social media:
- Idea focused: sharing articles, insights, stories, and images that can then be discussed, debated, or agreed upon by other people.
- Me-focused: sharing content that is all about me. What I ate or what I feel or what I think or this picture of me.These two ways of using social media apply to not just sharing content but also viewing it.
For a long time, I thought I mostly shared idea-focused content but over time it became very me-focused content and that's when social media became a problem for me.
Yes, I watched the documentaries about the harm of social media, and tried all the restrictive strategies you could think of. However, they never did the trick of helping me truly break free from the negative way I was using social media.
, if you ever find yourself comparing yourself to others on social media or struggling to take a break, here are the methods that finally made a difference for me:
- Reframe the approach to taking social media breaks. Instead of looking at social media breaks as a restriction, start to ask how else would you like to spend your time? This reframe helps focus more on what you get to do vs what you aren't allowed to do.
- Intentionally connect with others offline. Using social media to stay updated with friends and family is good but it never tells their full story. Start to find new ways to connect with loved ones including exchanging emails, mailing letters, or meeting up for walks.
- Do things you enjoy. In one week, I spent 20 hours on Instagram alone. I asked myself what else could I do with that time? What else could I try for the first time? I started going outside more, picked up doing puzzles, and secured a few consulting projects with orgs who are doing great work. What do you like to do? Or what would you like
to pursue if you "had the time"?
This past weekend, I re-activated my Instagram account for a partnership announcement but immediately found myself slipping into old habits. Instead of freaking out, I just asked myself what else would I like to do with this time and it ended up being a fulfilling weekend (as planned).
Progress.
Co-Founder, City Fit Girls
