Several reasons why I am leaving my personal social media:
First, There has been a shift in me that I don’t totally have explanation for yet. A shift in being comfortable about how much of my life I share.
Of course privacy/big tech overreach is part of that. But even more so is the privacy of my heart, home and family that I am feeling more protective over lately.
Obviously I’ve never shied away from sharing vulnerable or hard things. I’ve always shared what I felt called to share.
I’ve never regretted anything.
But something in my heart is changing. Possibly having to do with the next reason...
Second, I feel more and more that the close circle of friends I have and do life with - whether in person or online/phone if they aren’t local - is where I need to be more intentional.
I’ve always loved CONNECTION. It’s something I love to do. Connect with others, and connect people to other people. Heck, even my business group for oils is called “Connect”! It’s something I have always valued online. I made some of my besties through blogging and Twitter!
Blame it on getting older or feeling like my circle of people is pretty amazing and fulfilling or whatever - but those closer circles is where I really want to pour more of myself into vs a few hundred or thousand people who don’t really know me that well.
If freeing up mind or emotional energy (or physical energy of my phone!) can give me more space for more intimate connections...then I want that.
Being more intentional in relationship is a big part of this decision.
And while yes, I loooove catching up on random people’s lives and knowing how many kids they have now and how their motherhood is going etc,
I am sensing a pull toward my closer “village” to be where I pour into!
Third, is something God has been asking of me for a while now: to be MINDFUL.
Mindful of everything. I walk through a looooot of life being mindless aka going through the motions and doing what I need to do because I feel overwhelmed and just want to get it done almost like a run on sentence that should have stops and rests and resets but there’s just “so much to do” that not taking the time to think very hard is what happens. And let me tell you this from experience: mindlessness and thoughtlessness does not bear good fruit.
How does this apply to social media? For me - and maybe for others - I cannot be totally mindful of everything I actually NEED to do if I am either a. Thinking about the next thing I could post, or b. Taking pictures of what I’m doing rather than being mindful of the actual DOING. Does that even make sense? Lol. If not that’s ok.
God has had me going through a stripping away of things that clutter my mind. There are lots of those things. Things that consume my brain and emotions that hinder my purpose.
And lately, I have seen that social media is one of those things. A hindrance.
It hasn’t always been. And if I come back it may not be later. But for now - it needs to be taken away so my mind can be free to function better at more important things!
Fourth and most important - my full attention and presence are needed in more pressing places. My presence cannot be fully there with my kids if I am grabbing my phone constantly to take a picture or post a story.
This may sound harsh, but we can tell ourselves all we want to that we are fully present with our kids ... but I’d challenge that by saying if you have a phone in your hands the majority of the time you are with you kids...you are not fully present.
My most important connection, mindfulness, time, and presence-needed role in life is to my family. And my home. And my own heart.
So if getting off of social media allows space for that? I’m ready. No amount of likes or views or comments can measure up to the fruit of being fully present with the souls I have been given to raise.
I had a brief fear that this would affect my life somehow. Affect my business. Affect my worth.
But then I really looked in my heart and battled those fears with truth. And I won.
Because if I truly am giving this up - for a time or for good - for the reasons I feel led to ....
Then I will away from this with MORE purpose, more business growth, deeper connection, more mindfulness, more presence, and a better view of my worth apart from it.
It literally baffles my mind that so many of us have let little squares and words and pictures dictate how we feel or what we do. But for so many of us it has. But I’m calling BS on myself when I think how important sharing online is. For me, for now , it’s just not anymore.
Being super honest with myself and my needs and my desires for my life is something I am finally doing at age 38. And I’m super excited about it.
I’ve rambled enough and hope I made sense, so I’ll close this out.
Do I know how long I’m getting off the socials?
The Lord told me at least three months so I’m starting there.
Am I keeping my business groups?
Yes. That’s actually part of my intentionality reasons. To connect more there vs on my personal pages.
Am I going to miss it?
Yes and no.
No for the reasons I talked about.
Yes because of people. Y’all.
I sincerely love talking to and seeing peoples lives. People I wouldn’t normally see or talk to regularly. It’s the sweet part of social media. I’ll miss that. Miss y’all.
So, I am off of posting on my personal feeds as of January 1, 2021.
I’m literally logging out/deleting the apps of my phone until April 1 at least.
I WILL blog here and there. I 100% still feel led to share my heart on certain things. To share parts of our lives. To share stories of my journey as the Lord leads. But with more intentionality and purpose and thought vs throwing up a post every day just to post.
Please still connect with me if you want to.
About anything.
Life. This. Oils. Whatever.
You can find me here on my blog.
I definitely plan to still put my heart into words here in this more intentional/intimate space!
sarahloweblog.com
You can email me:
simpleoilylife@gmail.com.
You can text me about oils or business:
405-349-6260 (This is my business line, not personal)
Thanks for listening. For reading.
Now, and for the last many years or however long you have followed.
I’m by no means an “influencer”.
But I have for sure built a a sweet little community here that I will miss on the daily.
Until next time on social media, blessings and goodness and PEACE to you, my friends.
