Episode 177- Why I Quit Social Media

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It's been years of back-and-forth and finally I've logged off the social media giants.

I love sharing this here, since I hear often from those of you who aren't on social media at all and sometimes you tell me you feel like you're missing out on content that I'm sharing over there.

And now--you are for sure not!

I'm excited to be putting more of my creative energy into my podcasting, my email exchanges with you all, and of course my How to Glow coaching membership.

One of the best pieces of coaching I ever got was about making decisions. Instead of weighing the pros and cons, the idea is to look at your reasons–they tell you everything.

My reasons for staying on social media (specifically IG and Facebook) aren’t great, but they were enough to keep me on for a while. Primarily, the decision was based on fear. Fear that those who might need my work wouldn’t find me. Fear that my business would suffer. 

Then I remembered I’m not G-d. 

My reasons for leaving are unique to me (so I am certainly not casting judgment) but I know that I get super curious about how other people make these decisions so for that reason, I’ll share them for whoever is interested…

I’m a better parent when I’m not on social media. I’d love to say “with coaching all things are possible” and I certainly know there are wonderful parents out there who ARE on social and have worked out a balance that is right for them. For me, these two come into conflict too often.

Publishing on social feels inauthentic to me as someone who is so deeply concerned with promoting mental health and wellbeing. Every study I have found (with the one exception of the one Facebook funded) has shown significant correlation between social media use and mental distress.

I’ve found that I’m not great at moderation. I’m more of an all-or-nothing type. I don’t want to spend mental space or discipline on NOT checking social.

Whenever I take social media detox breaks I find myself surprised by how quickly and dramatically my mental landscape changes. I stop feeling like “life” is happening online. I get calmer. I feel less pulled. I surprisingly don’t feel any FOMO.

Social media doesn’t allow you to control what you consume, so I often feel like I’m shaking off a disturbing post or even something as simple as an image that makes me feel just 1% less like I measure up. 

I want to offer deep, high-quality material. I like long-form, deep thinking. I think I’m better at it. So I’ll be increasing my focus on written articles, email, and podcasting, which are more natural avenues for me. 

Finally, B”H, the How to Glow coaching program is growing and thriving and the community is my first priority in my business. Going with the mantra: do fewer things better. (If you need an invitation to join us, this is it!)

I’ve gained from being on social by having new people in my life that I deeply value that I don’t know how else I would have met. So I hope those of you who feel compelled to stay in touch do so, either by joining my email list or via WhatsApp (Zuckerberg can still have that one 😛)

I love my reasons for leaving social media. And love that we all got to connect ♥️

PS

There are some incredible interviews coming out in the next few weeks. I debated putting this off so I could more fully promote them, but some decisions are better made now than later. Definitely make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss out.

Transcript