A change will do your mind and nervous system good

Pausing posts before going on holiday back in October seems to have turned into an unplanned two-month hiatus from hanging out here, but hello again. :) It's been nice to be quiet for a bit, to just be and catch my breath in the last stretch of the year when we're usually having to push-push in 5th gear until we break for the holidays.

On Sunday my phone pinged my weekly screen time update - my average was down 17% to 2 hours and 15mins. I gasped. 6 months, a year ago, 5 years ago... - you get the picture - my weekly ping was always the same: between 4 and 5.5 hours of screen time per day. It was honestly killing me.

I was living in a constant state of low-level anxiety, I felt drained, my mind felt fragmented; enslaved to gadgets, technology and software. The relentless channel hopping between platforms and brands to check on content and campaigns, was numbing me to the point of long-wearing fatigue.

Having worked in social media since 2011, I made the call in June this year to set a boundary and say no to social media projects that came my way. This meant turning down income when I was in the throes of re-booting my business. It was hard at first, but today I can say: RIP 10 year social media career. #byee

I stuck to my intention and put my new offering out there: creative writing services and creative business mentoring - I'm now coaching clients on how to build their online brands and presence, and educating them on how to use social media and develop content strategies for their creative businesses. The change has been a breath of fresh air - I still get to share my knowledge and love of digital as part of this work, without having to manage a single client page.

The result - hours and hours of my life back! A healthier nervous system, a more focused mental capacity and immense gratitude for making the decision to remove what wasn't working for me. More time to be present in real life and un-condition my mind from 'shaping every moment' into content for social media.

Sometimes you have to unravel, unlearn and let go - and open yourself up to the next adventure. Sometimes real life is too good to share on social media!

Thanks for reading.
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