Instagram 2021 — but with intention
Earlier in the pandemic, I had taken a month-long break from Instagram and even enlisted a friend to do it with me. I remember getting through so many books and after a couple of days — not even missing it at all and feeling so…blissfully detached. My stepdaughter would say, “Did you see what I posted on Instagram?” and I’d quickly say, “NOPE! I don’t have Instagram.” I loved saying that out loud.
Fast forward — we’re now well into the first month of the year and I’ve deleted the Instagram app from my phone countless times. The cycle would go like this —my day would start off with my email first then Instagram with the intent to check my messages from clients or potential clients. Once I fulfilled that requirement I would scroll without intent or what one of my favorite YouTube creators Matt D’Avella calls it — compulsive checking — then all the social anxieties would roll in — I’d get irritated, triggered, compare myself, sad, or upset.
No matter how much I meditate, focus on my work, do Reiki or Tarot card readings…you strip that all away —I’m human. Humans compare themselves sometimes, whether it’s with others or even ourselves.. I’m not going to ignore that and try to suppress or bury those feelings deep. I’m going to acknowledge that I do that and figure out how I can make it happen less.
Which leads me to my next point:
I want to be on Instagram, less.
The past couple of weeks I’ve been doing 24-48 hours without IG and it’s been amazing. But I’m still craving for a break.
Today I was about to hit my 48 hour mark when I decided to check my messages through Facebook messenger to see if I missed anything. I had a follower tag me in a story and felt pressured to repost it. I downloaded IG quickly, told myself that I was just going to repost her story. I disliked that I felt compromised and essentially betrayed my own IG boundary. It made me realize that I needed to create stricter boundaries in order to create space for my mental health, to make me feel that same feeling I had when I did my 30 day detox — detached.
I want that feeling back! So now I’m thinking about how will I take a detox when my business relies heavily on this app, how will I get new clients, how will I check my messages…till my Higher Self tells me to shhhh and trust.
My mental, my heart and my spirit needs it, so here I am. I’m looking at my calendar right now to see if the next couple weeks would be open to plan an Instagram detox haha. I feel weird even typing that out. Here’s my thought process:
“Okay cool I have a collective distance energy healing container on the 24th, I think I will release my course that weekend, I might stream on the 28th…if I started tomorrow I could do 30 days till Feb 11th…”
Some of you know that I work as a CNA in one of the hospitals in Hawai’i. Today I worked in a COVID Vaccine clinic. Today (from what I understand), was the first day they were allowing seniors of a certain age group with underlying health conditions. It was overwhelming and busy and there were times I had anxiety, not for myself but for everyone who was waiting.
Here we had kupuna, some who had been quarantining in their homes since April, now waiting closely together — little to no social distancing — for this COVID vaccine.. The line was so long that it stretched throughout several floors and even went past the front entrance to the parking lot elevators. Anxiety.
I was so grateful that I had done yoga earlier in the morning before coming to work (which is a habit I practice before every hospital shift) otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to keep calm during that fiasco. I basically had to freestyle my job responsibilities to help expedite the line quickly and efficiently. I felt like I was working back at Starbucks haha.
My point being — days like today, what is Instagram? What is social media?
I’m ready to change my relationship with social media because yes, it’s a relationship.
This is part of my reset + reflect + replenish ritual (also a course I’ll be releasing this month!) that I do multiple times during the year.
This is me resetting and reflecting. On the side you’ll see what I’ll be focusing on during this cleanse. I will be posting frequently on here and Patreon. At some point after this cleanse, I will post my guidelines for navigating Instagram in 2021 and beyond haha.
Thank you always for your support and for reading this long ass post. Stay safe and sane.
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If this post resonated with you and you’re ready for Instagram break, please consider joining me for this challenge — I’ve attached some inspirational / reference videos to watch above. If you’d like something more interactive, you can join me on Patreon.
Here are some things I’ll be focusing on during my 30 day cleanse (so dramatic):
Community work
Sharing more on my other platforms like this blog + Patreon
Reading more
TAW - The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron (my friend Hollis is facilitating a group for the next 12 weeks!)
Finishing my reset + reflect + replenish course
Moving my body
Finishing candle pre-orders
Other secret projects that will be mentioned when the time is right
MORE CLARITY
Using Instagram more mindfully where I don’t want to gouge my eyes out
If you’d like to do this challenge with me — comment on this post or join the community on patreon
