It is increasingly difficult in today’s world to exist as a small business, a creator, an artist, a wellness practitioner – basically almost anything – and not spend a large chunk of energy on your social media presence. I’ve resented this for years, as it seems no matter what enterprise I pivot to, I have to think about reaching an audience and marketing it on as many platforms as I can. It’s all about creating content – and let’s just say I don’t love that.

I don’t think that most creatives do. Unless you already have a background in some sort of sales and marketing, it feels like a completely foreign and daunting task. I have learned, through trial and error, and with the help of mentors, to allow social media to be fun. To not worry so much about design and strategy, but to show up authentically and with what resonates for me. That does help – for so long, I made social media the enemy. It wasn’t productive or realistic.

What I do find upsetting is that as soon as we figure out how to reach our audience or make any sort of headway, the powers that be change something in order to screw us over again. It is NOT okay that they have become puppeteers who control our livelihoods in a system we now can’t seem to escape. It is NOT okay for them to toy with us and the followings we’ve worked so hard to build by deciding to hide our content on a whim. I am not going to play into this drain on my time and energy. It’s insane.

You cannot afford to let social media define you. You simply cannot. You can do your best, show up there authentically, and share your passion. Share what you are doing, what your work is, how people can reach out to you. But then you have to let it go. Don’t get attached to the results, because honestly, there’s very little you can do to control them when everything is constantly changing. Just continue showing up as your highest self, and let the rest go.

Most importantly, set boundaries for yourself around social media. It’s so easy to let it consume you and eat up all the energy you could be utilizing elsewhere. It’s designed to get us addicted – don’t let them win! Set parameters for how you use it, and stick to those parameters. Do what you have to do so that you live your life in the moment, not for social media.

I myself am definitely guilty of falling into the trap of constantly thinking, how can I leverage this? Should I document this moment for a post? It’s terrifying how easily it happens. Don’t beat yourself up over it. Do notice when it’s happening and give yourself time and space. Take a step back. Take a day off, a weekend off. Set daily time limits. Leave your phone in another room, in your car – whatever you have to do. Your mental health will thank you, and you’ll realize that the world does not, in fact, fall apart if you are absent.

Okay – it’s time for me to end this rant. Clearly I feel strongly about the subject! Bottom line, remember that social media does not dictate a damn thing about who you are and what you create. It has absolutely nothing to do with your worth. It has absolutely nothing to do with the value of what you put out into the world. It is simply another tool, and it is time we went back to treating it as such.

Otherwise we might all lose our damn minds.

Sending you so much love.