You're better than the internet...
If you've read my last few posts - Same Vision, Different City , When Life Hits You Hard - then you know it's been a rough couple of months for me. Not only was my physical health in question but my mental health was also majorly tested. Last month, especially, I found myself in a dark place and usually the use of my creative juices would snap me out of that but I was so deep in that hole (that's what he said lol) that I struggled to even create. Coming from NYC and living that creator lifestyle, it was sort of easy for me to conceptualize and build on that but when I made the unexpected move to Miami, something shifted. It was like I had no idea what I was doing even though creating content became apart of my life. I almost had no interest in creating or sharing anything anymore. In many ways, I realized that I needed to take a step back from the internet community and evaluate my life outside the social media.
It's so easy to get caught up in the likes and views and the overall presentation of the "life" you want people to see but often times, I was neglecting my ACTUAL life and relationships I've built. I'm generally a private person so I obviously don't share EVERYTHING on my socials and with that it kinda became hard for me to separate what I put on socials and the things I actually experience. It took me making this sudden move to really see that my life was not headed in the direction that I had envisioned and it was time for that to change. So I made a conscious decision to do a full digital detox.
What does that mean?
Digital Detox
Avoiding digital activities such as checking your phone and logging into Facebook for a meaningful period of time, usually the length of a vacation.
(according to urban dictionary)
I thought the transition would've been much more difficult since I was going from being on my phone/internet 20 hours out of the day to a maximum of 5 hours a day but I actually enjoyed it. I felt as if I was fully immersed in life instead of living to show how 'amazing' my life was. I found myself going days without feeling the need to check any of my socials. It almost became a norm for me. It honestly felt like a breath of air.
Yes, I lost following.
Yes, my engagement rate was lowered. But I didn't care.
I was living my true life and that's when I realized that is exactly what I should be sharing, not what I think people want to see but the real struggles and tribulations that I was experiencing. That's the moment I really understood that if this is the path I want to take then I have to do it authentically and live my truth, no matter how embarrassing or heartbreaking it might be.
I share this story to say, you don't need to live a fake life to keep up with people on the internet. I know that pressure is enormous and especially in the influencer space, you feel as if you need to portray a certain image to gain followers and for people to like you but let's be real... the shit you see on the internet is only 10% of a person's life. It's important to remember who you are, your values, your goals, your dreams... the things that make your friends love you for you. That's exactly what people on the internet is also gonna fall in love with so there's no need to switch up because that 100k profile is doing something cool and different. Being you is more than enough! Anyone that can't see that, don't deserve your time or amazing content haha.
At the end of the day... it's just likes.
Have you taken a digital detox?
Let me know how your experience was in the comments below!
Thanks for reading!! xxx
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