As a Highly Sensitive Person, I know you have big feelings just as I do.
Sometimes about things you can’t explain, that maybe don’t make sense, and I’m here to tell you they don’t need to.
Because intuition isn’t about logic, it’s about your truth which speaks through your spirit, not your mind.
Sometimes you get a flash of knowing that triggers a change.
Last August I had one of those moments.
Suddenly social media, to me, became incompatible with life. I started loathing it with the heat of 10,000 suns. Nothing happened. Nothing changed…but me.
This isn’t uniquely my issue. We seem to be going through a collective shift.
Many who were once firmly embedded in social media are leaving it now, without much concern for what we may be “missing” as a result.
For me professionally, I began to feel like a cow wearing a nose ring led by a machine constantly telling me what to do, who to be, what words to use, what music to listen to, how to speak, and what exact time I had better do all of the above if I wanted any “engagement”. I felt myself resenting all of it, and shutting down around my work in general. I felt like I had ingested poison every time I opened Facebook. (I’ve never been a compulsive scroller. Less than 15 minutes a day was enough to feel its toxic effects on me.)
Working with social media managers only made it worse.
Based on the profoundly bad effect it was having on my mind and spirit, I realized it was a matter of survival. Leaving it behind became my only logical choice.
So I jumped.
When I left social media I had to contend with my inner fear, all the insecure voices within me came to the surface, powered by my own inner critic. “What are you doing? You filled your practice through social media!” it yelled at me, which isn’t even slightly true.
For over fifteen years I’ve had a strong social media presence, that’s true.
But I built my business, I filled my practice, through a lot of education, professional credentials I worked my ass off to achieve, and by writing books. Not New York Times best sellers, mind you, but through the complete freedom of my own self-published books about the power of the human spirit journeying through the stormy landscape of heart and soul.
Books that spoke to enough people in unique, non-cookie-cutter ways, that I’ve had a full practice as a transformational and executive coach for over a decade.
Social media doesn’t get to take credit for my successes, and it shouldn’t for you either.
What I’m doing instead!
In the months I’ve been mostly away from social media I’ve been using my time differently, in ways that provide more value for me professionally and personally.
This looks like:
1.) Learning.
I’m focusing on expanding my knowledge and skill in transformational psychology. As a member of the American Psychological Association and a credentialed Board-Certified Coach which requires many hours of continuing education every year, I have way more freedom to keep up with my education.
2.) Boundaries.
I’m expanding my creative reserves by guarding my energy. We only have a finite amount of creative energy each day, and It’s up to us to protect it. Channeling that (rather than pouring my creativity into something that yields me low professional benefits) feels like money in the bank.
3.) Refining.
I’ve made exciting updates to my website which help to explain my work on a much deeper level. I hired graphic & web designers, SEO specialists, a photography studio, and a copywriter so magical she pulls thoughts and words out of my head like a Hogwarts master of Legilimency. (In the book, Free Time, the incredible entrepreneur Jenny Blake calls this “Your Delightfully Tiny Team”. As a small business owner I agree that establishing a creative team is critical for both sanity and growth.)
4.) Writing.
I’m transferring all the time previously spent on social media and channeling that into my third book scheduled to be released November of 2025. This one is really special to me ~ it’s about my journey through Bell’s palsy, and I’m making great progress.
5.) Deepening.
I’ve been fully devoted to focusing not on the 20,000 followers I left behind by deleting Facebook, Twitter, and Threads, but on the 300 who faithfully subscribe to my twice-monthly newsletter. I’m committed to building deeper, more intimate relationships rather than shouting to the masses in what came to feel more like an empty stadium.
What comes next?
I’m not sure if my social media sabbatical will be permanent, but for now I’m going to continue to feel my way through this sea change, and do something I’ve spent a lifetime perfecting–trust my intuition.
I left social media and have had zero regrets. But if you’re feeling conflicted about your own presence on social media please chat me up in the comments, and tell me about your internal (or external!) struggle. I’d love to further the conversation. It’s a hot topic right now, and I have some theories I’m developing about its affect on HSPs in general.
Much Love,
Kristy
P.S. ~ Here are a few of my favorite guides through this change, none of which has a presence on social media! I’ve read everything they’ve ever written, and I recommend every single book. Most of them also have newsletters and podcasts, which are all excellent.
P.P.S. ~ Haven’t yet read Stark Raving Zen, or The Fascinated Observer? You can purchase them anywhere books are sold, or you can order a signed copy directly through me! Also, a positive review of Stark Raving Zen on Amazon or GoodReads is a tremendous generosity, and a great gift to me.
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