I got an intuitive message to get off of instagram, my primary social media account, a month ago now.

If there’s one thing I trust, it’s what my intuition guides me to do, and so I happily deleted the app.

At first, I thought it would just be for when I was on my ski trip, but as time went on, I felt a full body NO every time I thought about how I should add it back.

Interestingly, TODAY I finally felt the pull to get back on it again.

Overall, I had felt SO happy not being on it – my vibe is HIGH right now and I’ve been feeling so much more that type of inexplicable joy that emanates from the inside out that for me, always comes as a result of being deeply connected to my soul and spirit.

What I know for sure is that as I return, it’ll be with a new intention and a new spaciousness and boundary that I didn’t have before.

If you’ve been thinking of deleting instagram for a while, I 10/10 recommend it.

My Biggest Insight: Is Social Media Ruining Our Friendships?

What I’ve noticed the most since I went offline is that my friendships have been closer.

Maybe it was as a result of the pandemic and everything being online, or maybe it was because I moved away and now have to be more intentional about staying in touch with my girlfriends, but I definitely had gotten into a habit of connecting through social media instead of ways that I find more meaningful like actually getting on Facetime or texting with someone.

I had no idea how much the daily dose of messaging with people on instagram was taking up energy and giving me some semblance of social connection, while also taking away energy I might have to connect with my closest friends.

With all this energy freed up, and without having little pings of social connection through DMs, I’ve been thinking of my friends more and directly reaching out to them to catch up more meaningfully.

I’ve re-evaluated what really matters to me, and who really matters to me, and am committed to continuing to put more effort into my friendships overall.

I’ve also been markedly more present with my friends when I’ve been able to see them (I flew home one weekend in January to see my Toronto girlfriends and my family and it was so nice!).

My mom has also been forced to actually message me instead of just following my stories. While being able to “see” me each day was nice for her, it didn’t make me feel connected, so it’s been a welcome change with family too.

It’s not that I think that social media is ruining our friendships, and I think that you can meet incredible people online, it’s just that the depth of connection and community we are seeking is better fostered offline and we can all get into the habit of being online more than we are offline.

Social media can also sometimes make us inadvertently prioritize online connections that might be less meaningful to us than other friendships or connections in our lives.

My Business Didn’t Burn Down

I often wondered if I stopped posting on social media if my business would stop too.

The answer is: it hasn’t.

And honestly, this was not surprising because I really noticed that in the last year, social media wasn’t bringing me new clients in the way it once did. I think that that’s part of pandemic fatigue, but also I think the market is generally more saturated.

Interestingly, in this break, I’ve had more people reach out randomly for 1:1 coaching in the last weeks since I’ve been off than I had in the whole of last year.

I’ve always run my business based on surrender and flow, and in this spaciousness, I started to get a lot more clarity about opening up more 1:1 coaching for people, which is because I think a lot of people are looking for a greater depth of connection right now .

If that’s you, you can send me a message and learn more about it here.

And, it also tells me that while social media is amazing, I’ve remembered that I enjoy it the most as a creative outlet to write and share inspiring things.

I trust that the right people will find their way into my courses, retreats and coaching containers as needed, and I’ve streamlined things this year to easily direct people into the right resources based on where they are at (if you aren’t sure – also message me!).

It helps me to remember that social media is not the ONLY avenue to grow your business in 2022.

There are Some People I’ll Stop Following

When I first deleted social, there were some people who’s accounts I followed that kept popping up into my awareness a lot.

This means that I am being truly influenced by them.

I then questioned whether that was a healthy and positive influence or not.

What I realized is while there are still some accounts of people that really inspire and expand me, there were a few others who’s energy wasn’t sitting right with me that I’ll stop following when I get back on.

Doing a social media purge is always a good thing, and the perspective and clarity I have around which accounts serve me and which don’t with this time away has been clarifying.

I also recommend that!

I Needed Space to Heal

I did somatic based healing last year, and then began IFS therapy, which is also somatic based (but then uses a more cerebral approach to understanding how our systems react to what’s happening somatically).

Trauma healing is no joke, and while known for years I was supposed to dive deeper into body based healing but never found the right practitioners until it was the right time.

I see now that I couldn’t have done this healing until I was in my relationship because…it’s destabilizing and incredibly intense.

You’re asked to unlock and revisit memories that have been repressed for decades so that you can “unfreeze” the trauma response in your body, but, as you might imagine, unlocking what’s been locked up for so long, and the way in which your system has learned to operate is the most intense healing, because it’s getting to the root of so much of our suffering.

I’ll do another post another time on these modalities in the future.

The whole point is, throughout the last year and a half of doing this work, I can’t just jump back into life.

There’s a lot of releasing, integration, and ultimately, healing, that needs to occur.

I had a few intense sessions and then interestingly, had a built in brake with my practitioner until March, and my intuition gave me the message to get off social right after our session.

My main realization is that in times of tenderness and healing, being as disconnected as we can be to attune to our own loving energy and self-nurturance can be incredibly healthy.

I’m Feeling Much More Clear-Headed

Just before I was called to leave social media for a while, I was also inspired to really deepen into my meditations and spiritual practice.

Not having so much external stimuli coming in is always the best medicine for my soul, and I am just feeling so much more present and at ease in general.

Our Intuitions Never Lead Us Astray

For me, I think I needed this time to recalibrate my energy.

There is SOOOO much on social media and if you’re an energetically sensitive person, there’s probably more that you’re picking up on that’s affecting your vibration.

More than that, it’s just a lot of information to be taking in.

Without it, you might notice your energy naturally return because you’re simply giving your brain less to process each day, which takes energy.

I am so grateful and so glad that I finally did this little digital detox, and really excited to re-engage when it’s time in a way that feels healthy and uplifting for me.

If you’re reading this, maybe it supports you in taking the time and space you need.

Book Recommendation: Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport

I started reading this book last year and then picked it up again recently. No surprise here, Cal Newport makes the argument that we need to be offline more and very intentional with our technology use. If you are inspired by this message and want to dive deeper, it’s worth a read.