Checking In With Yourself Before Everyone Else
I love Social Media. Facebook and Instagram keep me connected with family and friends, business contacts, and customers. They keep me up-to-date on important things like yoga trends, local events, mediation practices, sustainable lifestyle habits, and healthy recipes.
But lately I’ve been comparing myself to others a little too much and spending more time on social media than I need to. My excuse is that, “I need to be on Instagram for Love My Mat.” And sure, I’m making a post about meditation or answering questions about yoga props, but undoubtedly I end up scrolling mindlessly. Then five or even 15 minutes have passed and I’m often left feeling unsettled or unsatisfied. I’m seeing all the fun yoga poses that everyone else is doing or cool meditation retreats they are hosting and wishing I was doing all of those things. But it’s not realistic or healthy.
One of my early yoga teachers said, “Don’t compare your insides to other people’s outsides.” And it struck a chord with me. I’ve shared with quote with many friends and family that were feeling the same way I’ve been feeling lately.
As a mom and business owner, my time is very limited. So why am I wasting so much precious time scrolling aimlessly on Instagram when I could be spending those minutes with my family or practicing self-care?
For all of 2019 I’ve been practicing “A Year of Challenges” and my challenge for September is to journal each night. This is a new practice for me that I wasn’t sure I’d like, but I’m surprised to say, I love it! I love it because of the residual effects it has on my life.
We created a little journal with 3 positive prompts, (you can actually download it here – for free!) that I’ve been using each night before I go to sleep. The prompts are about:
- Gratitude
- Accomplishments
- Self-Care
It’s all the little practices that add up to big changes. This journal challenge makes me feel more grateful, satisfied, and connected with myself, my family, my business, and my whole community.
The Self-Care question has revived my commitment to taking care of myself, not just once or twice a week – but daily! I’ve re-committed to a daily meditation practice, which makes me feel grounded and present. I started thinking, “why can’t I meditate every day?” Of course the answer to myself was, “you’re too busy.” But I thought, if I have time for social media - I have time for meditation.
So I created a new rule for myself. No social media until I’ve practiced meditation. I’d love to meditate as soon as I wake up in the morning, but with 2 young boys there’s no time. So once I get them both off to school, the first thing I do when I get home is settle into my sit set and meditate.
I haven’t been opening any of my social media accounts before I meditate each day. I’m feeling much more grounded and ready to take on the day. I’m also feeling more confident because I start my day checking in with myself, instead of with everybody else.
I have also made some simple changes to how I use social media. These easy fixes help alleviate my anxiety and stress around comparing myself to others and time management. Below I’ve listed 4 steps you can take to improve your Social Media Consumption.
4 Ways to Improve Your Social Media Diet
- Unfollow people if their posts make you unhappy.
- Limit your time on all Social Media apps. I put a 45 minute daily max across all apps to ensure I’m not wasting too much time.
- Set a rule about not looking at any social media apps (or your phone at all) for at least 45 minutes before bed.
- Change your phone's notification settings. Turning off all notifications will greatly decrease how distracting your phone & social apps can be.
It's funny how little changes make all the difference in our lives. One little habit can have huge ripple effects that improve your daily life.
I hope I've inspired you.
