May 25, 2016

Helping yourself (when it comes to social media)

I've been limiting my social media presence lately. Aside from this blog, I've never been into posting daily happenings on the various platforms. But here are some changes I made to help ME in the last month. The overarching reason has to do with the comparison trap and wasting time online, but I do go into detail below.



1. I deleted Instagram from my phone in May.
It was not bringing me joy. It was bringing me comparison as I *enjoyed* my 25 minute lunch break each day. And it was stealing all my joy, actually. So until they invent a "hide" function for IG, it'll be gone for a bit. I don't want to unfollow. I don't want to block. I want to "hide".
I'll probably bring it back this summer. Maybe.

2. I blocked notifications from The Balanced Life Sisterhood group on Facebook.
So much of my newsfeed was from this group. I love Pilates. I like the point of the group, but I couldn't relate to 90% of it. The topics usually fall into two categories: how to best do Pilates after a c-section OR how do I get back on track after a workout/food-related setback (and maybe my compassion meter is just running low at this point, but I don't understand how every.single.weekend seems to equal a setback...like do what you want on the weekend, but saying you need a fresh start every Monday is a vicious cycle).

Sure, the group offers encouragement and people post motivational quotes and tips. But the motivation I need is Yes, Kristin. You can find that rattlesnake and shoot it. You can do this.
Or 7 more months of deployment? You can do that too! 
Or I know you can take care of mowing down 35 acres of field this summer. Seriously. You got this.
Plumbing? You can do plumbing too!

That's what I need to hear. And that's what Scott tells me often because he knows I need to hear it. And that's what matters to me right now. Having the issues of others I don't actually know,  however valid, thrown at me when I have so much on my plate isn't what I need right now. Especially when I can't relate at all.

If anyone knows of a group titled Wives living in locations where they don't belong, but they do it because they love their husbands, let me know.

3. I still don't have Facebook on my phone.
This is a blessing.
I spend maybe 5-15 minutes a day scrolling through my newsfeed and it's not really interesting to me at this point.

4. I don't remember my Twitter password so I haven't been using it anyway.
I'm serious.

Is there a tip or trick you use to help yourself get the most out of social media?

11 comments:

  1. I think the best thing to do when it comes to social media is to figure out what works best for you personally. That sounds like what you are doing, which is great. I think we all have different joys, dislikes, tolerances for various media forms. Working out what works best personally is the best thing we can do for all of us.

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  2. I don't have any tricks... I use too much social media ;) I don't have notifications on my groups though!

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  3. Social media can definitely be a drain sometimes, I really do try to limit my interaction with it.

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  4. LOL @ the group you're looking for and also last night I tried to log in to twitter and forgot my password. So if I'm not going through the app or my computer where it's saved, I'm not getting into it.

    I can always feel like I've had enough of a particular form of SM and I put the phone down. I don't have a time limit or a plan.

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  5. I use facebook and IG, and sometimes twitter, and I think that's enough however at my sister's shower the other day I was informed that I need snapchat and something else. I was like nope, I'm good!

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  6. I have my password for Twitter saved on my laptop so I never have to remember it.

    I like IG but keep all the other non-book related social media off my phone. And I feel the same way about FB. It's boring at this point.

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  7. I COMPLETELY agree that IG needs to have a "hide" function. I mean, aren't they owned by Facebook? You can hide people's updates on Facebook, they should let you hide people from your main IG feed too. I've ended up unfollowing a bunch of people because I can't just hide them, and while I'm glad I don't see their updates anymore, I'd like to be able to look at their feeds SOMETIMES, when I'm in the mood.

    I'll join you in creating that support group...!!!

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  8. i only have instagram and snapchat on my phone. i don't really care for twitter, and i used to be obsessed with facebook. a year or so ago i deleted everything from my phone because i was always on it, and then i slowly added things back. i used to check my instagram every 5 minutes, now i check it for more like 5 minutes a day. i only have facebook to talk to my friends/family at home, i deleted everyone else. i don't touch my phone when i drive (i know i shouldn't have been before, but i did, so there you go) and never when i am with other people (unless it's to take a photo of said people). i think you have to find what works for you.
    as for that group... i agree with you on the setback/fresh start every monday. that's odd. i do hope you find a better group for your needs or wants!

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  9. I definitely wish Insta had similar features to FB where you could control your newsfeed. I try to not access FB on my phone unless I'm completely bored in a doctor's office or something. I check instagram maybe once a day if that, and try to limit it to 15 mins. All of it can be very addicting and can pull you into comparison if you let it. I think you have the right idea! :)

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  10. I deactivated my Facebook a few months ago. I do not miss it in the slightest. I like Twitter and Instagram, though I do compare myself too much to the posts on Instagram. My pics are both boring and not professional in comparison to all those I follow.

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  11. With Facebook, I have notifications set for people whose posts I don't want to miss (like friends of mine who live far away). I don't post or scroll like I used to, but I still use it enough. Mostly, I scroll through my "most recent" newsfeed when I'm bored.

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