Okay, so we have quite a bit to catch up on, like why I quit Instagram! It’s been a minute since I’ve actually written on here and shared my heart. Buckle up!
If you’re on Instagram (which most of you are), I dropped a major bomb in the middle of July. If you missed it, here’s the caption I shared:
Surprise! I’m quitting Instagram! Yep, you read that right. For the past seven years I’ve built up my online businesses with true blood, sweat, and tears. I’ve never taken more than a few days off, and to be perfectly honest, I’m burned out. This past year alone has run me ragged (especially with going back to the classroom), and quite frankly, Instagram has become a toxic place for me. It constantly feels like a screaming match as I scroll through who I follow and since I follow so many people, it’s exhausting to even try and mute it all. I feel like I’m walking on eggshells when it comes to sharing what I BELIEVE, and I’m just sick and tired of being sick and tired.
I’ve become addicted to an app which has made me sick with anxiety, sick with fear, and sick with comparison. After a lot of deep reflection and prayer, I had an aha moment the other day that led me to the decision of walking away for a bit and get back to the things I love. A time to rest and restore. Hello, why didn’t I ever do this sooner.
So what’s next and where am I going? I’m going back to the basics. I started blogging in 2014 to WRITE. Blogging used to be so fun and so full of community, and over the years, my writing has gotten buried by sharing other things on an app that doesn’t love me back. Lol. I could never give up sharing what I love, sharing my faith, and sharing my life, so I’ll still be around but back in my blog. Please come say hi over there when you can! You can still email me and definitely subscribe to blog post alerts because there will now be plenty. I’ll be so happy to still communicate with you that way. I’ll also still be pouring into my oils & wellness community too. Less scrolling = More doing.
There’s so much more to why and how I came to this decision, but that’s about the size of it for now. I’ll write a longer blog post going a little more in depth. I’m taking this huge leap of faith knowing that God is guiding me to do what’s best to restore my creative soul.
I’m not saying goodbye to this app forever & I’m definitely not deactivating anything, but come August 1st I’m deleting this app from my phone. From now until then, I’ll still be sharing like usual, and I’ll make sure you know how to access my blog before I jump off for a while. I won’t get back on until I’ve done what I set out to do in 2016, and that’s to write a devotional for you. I’ve got work to do.
Can you even believe it? I can’t believe I actually had the courage to go through with it, but God. I’m five days into my sabbatical, and here’s a secret between you and me…I don’t think I’m ever going back. Definitely not ever going back to how I was.
This past week has been the most freeing, the most liberating, and the most peace-filled week I have had in years. And it’s even that time of the month! I’ve had more patience, more TIME, and I’m feeling like a brand new woman. It’s kind of crazy to think that giving up a little app I thought was harmless has had such a huge impact.
Like I said, Instagram had become toxic to me. I had become addicted to it, which is exactly what it’s designed to do, and newsflash: being addicted to anything is not good for you. Instagram is designed to make you addicted. If you’ve never watched The Social Experiment on Netflix, please do.
If you’re needing more peace in your life, I highly suggest walking away from anything that makes you feel less than. I had every intention of using Instagram as a source to help spread God’s message, but it was not producing good fruit for me. It was making me physically and emotionally sick, and it even contributed to some weight gain. Stress = weight gain. Not fun.
Sometimes the best intentions go awry, and it takes discernment to realize it, walk away, and start over. I thought I had to do things a certain way to be successful in the online businesses I’ve created. I thought I “needed” Instagram to get me from Point A to Point B. What I’ve realized is that we get to write our own rules. Sure, Instagram served me well for a time, but that time has come and gone. Running the rat race that is now Instagram is not for me anymore. I’m more interested in serving the people in my life in real life on a closer level. I wasn’t able to do that with Instagram taking up so much space.
I now know that I get to write my own story with God leading the way. I had immersed myself in a scene that was so loud I couldn’t hear Him anymore, and these past few weeks, I’ve never heard Him more clearly. It’s the best gift ever.
Plant yourself firmly in the only things that give you LIFE. It will be different for everyone, but for me, that means planting myself in the Bible. For the past month, I have been reading the daily readings and devotionals on the Bible app. Look up the YouVersion app and enjoy their daily Stories. It includes a verse of the day, a brief video message, a daily devotional, and a prayer. You’ll love it!
And if you think that Instagram or any social media app is weighing you down, take this as your sign to walk away from it. If you need permission, HERE IT IS. It’s not worth your peace. And let me tell you something. Peace is still there to be had.
