Social Media and Lupus - Using my Energy Wisely

 Ever gone down the black hole that is Instagram's Explore Page?? That thing is dangerous - and is very possibly the world's largest, most tantalizing, engaging, entertaining rabbit hole ever. 

I discovered the Explore page years ago, but only started actively browsing it last year. I learned what Kylie Jenner eats for breakfast, tricks for plumping up my eyebrows (or any other part of my body, for that matter), and that cats and dogs (as well as bunnies, calves, and goats) can be the best of friends. 

All valuable information, of course.  Stuff that will no doubt propel my business to new heights, which is, after all, why I am on Instagram in the first place. 

But after wasting a good chunk of time in 2020 to the Explore Page, I've called it quits. I don't even look at it anymore. I still use the search function. But all those enticing make-up videos, gorgeous celebrities in fabulous new outfits, or decadent, delicious-looking chocolate desserts? Don't even click on 'em.

The first day I enlisted my rule, it was hard, I'll admit. When you're on that page, you're just in the habit of allowing your eyes to "see" all the perfectly possible ways to spend the next 30 minutes. 

But once I stopped looking - like literally, stopped glancing down at the posts when searching for something - I found them pretty easy to resist. And I stayed on task, saving a ton of time and putting my energy to good use. . 

I've incorporated this new habit into my list of 2021 New Year's Healthy Habits. Here's the short list of my newly adopted social media guidelines:  

1) No browsing Discover/Explore pages on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, etc.

2) No social media on Sundays.  

 -- I don't think I really need to explain this one. Everyone needs a break, and I try to take mine on Sunday. 

3) No fretting over things that don't matter - like FB, IG and YouTube.

-- Having a presence on social media is definitely beneficial to my business. But worrying about it is not. If I skip a couple of posts, or miss using the biggest hashtag of the moment, I'm not going to sweat it. My business thrives only when I thrive. And I thrive when I'm happy, healthy, and stable - certainly not when I'm stressed about all the social media I should be doing! 

(I wrote posts about cutting out the "Shoulds" from my vocabulary years ago. You can read them here - they still apply today!)