RELAX AND RESET
And finally, the day came. You know that day where everything hits like a ton of bricks?? Emotionally and mentally I was DONE FOR. Every post-move emotion that I hadn’t yet fully felt came rolling in at the same damn time….And once again, I was dealing with the reality that so much of 2020 is up in the air. This day was last Monday morning - mornings are usually when my anxiety feels heaviest. I woke up in a funk and immediately knew, I had to take action and that Monday was just going to be one of those days *in my Monica voice.* It was time to relax and reset. And maybe more importantly, it was time to break up with social media for a little.
Now, I’m not going to sit on here and say that I was surprised by all the emotions. The 3 weeks leading up to last Monday were filled with emotional moments and I knew closing an extremely important chapter in my life was going to come with low moments. But I also knew that I had to make decisions and make them quick if I was going to still find a way to enjoy the rest of the week ahead. I didn’t want those negative emotions following me and holding power over me the entire week. So I looked at myself and said “press the reset button, homegirl!”
Here’s the whole truth and nothing but the truth: as much as I love creative content and IG specifically; it’s very easy to get caught up scrolling for long periods of time, quickly leading to pointless dead ends....it’s easy to begin feeling the pressure to amount up to unrealistic expectations that who knows who is actually placing on OR expecting from us. Nonetheless, they become very real expectations in our mind. A lot of it is our imagination getting the best of us. A lot of it is overthinking and fear based conversations that we have with ourselves which can easily lead down a dangerous road of comparison and feelings of inadequacy. In addition to confronting my need for a quick IG separation, I realized that the only timelines I’m on right now are timelines that I’ve created for myself. Especially pertaining to social media and “keeping up.” F keeping up! What is that, anyway!?!? So I started my week reset and break-up by first, going into my phone settings and adjusting my screen time limits to 1 minute a day on IG. Next, I released myself from the pressure of achieving the things listed on my normal weekly checklists. Then, I gave myself permission to NOT attend the planning committee meetings I have with me, myself and I, where I kinda obsess over the next 3 life/project moves I think I need to be making! (YES, I TALK TO MYSELF A LOT!) I gave myself one day to FEEL all the yucky feels- which was Monday- and then decided I was going to use my week to do some other things on my heart. Some of those things included:
Drinking a gallon of water a day.
Starting the 21 day fitness challenge with Trainer Heather…My goal is really just to be working out 2-3 times a week right now. Progress is a process!
Committing to daily devotional time with the Big Man.
Reading my newest book “Relationship Goals.”
Lighting candles and indulging in bubble baths! Major Key. :)
Booking a therapy session which happened last Wednesday.
Getting outside and going on a walk with our dogs daily.
Watching ‘The Photograph.’ LOVED THIS MOVIE!
Working on living in the moment better. Taking things day by day and being kind to myself as I journey through this season.
And that was my strategy for turning my week around. And YES, it worked! So my encouragement today is this…..be honest about how social media could potentially be impacting your emotional and mental health right now. It’s a sneaky thing! Sometimes it’s as simple as “yo, I’ve been spending way too much time on this thing and need to have better control over the information/images/messages that are occupying my mind and my schedule.” Maybe you’re placing too much value on things of the internet!? Maybe you’re stalking that person you need to finally leave alone *side eye*….whatever it is, just check in. Take the breaks you need. Even as a brand or influencer on social media. You ARE THE BRAND! It’s you! Don’t forget that! You will be YOU when you come back. You hold the power and have the gifts. Don’t trip. Rest up and come back fueled up. Do however little or however much will make you feel RESET during your time away. You’ll be better to the world when you’re better to YOU. Thanks for being understanding when I need my resets! Ya’ll are the best!
Have you found yourself feeling similarly over the last two months? What do you do to help get out of the funk? What boundaries do you have set up? Sound off in the comments.
XO,