My mother tells the story of her own mother, my grandmother, who used to respond pragmatically to her daughters’ complaints of fatigue or the heat of summer.
“I’m hot, Mom!” my mother and her sisters would say in the humid Indiana farmhouse.
To which, my grandmother would respond, “We’re ALL hot.”
Touche.
Yesterday I confessed to being worn out by social media. To which you responded, “We’re ALL tired.” Yes. We are, aren’t we?
You can’t keep up.
You feel pressure to do more and be more.
You “miss opportunities” because you decided to take a nap.
You feel pressure to gain readership and make money off of your blog.
Or maybe, you are just sick of Facebook, Twitter and all of your friends posting about their food and vacations.
Social media exhausts you. You don’t want to put it ALL out there; you’d like to keep some back for yourself and your family and you don’t want to get crucified for it.
Any way you slice it, we are all tired.
I hear you. Believe me, I hear you.
On MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 I’m going to set up a link tool in a post for YOU to share your own posts all about all things social media.Write a post on your own blog (or link one you’ve already written) and link it up on Monday.
Here are some questions to get you thinking:
What are we going to do about social media exhaustion? Are we going to shut down our Facebook accounts? Our blogs? Are we going to take fasts from the computer or twitter? Are we going to write mission statements or keep “office hours?”
How do we respond with grace to those people who over share? What does authenticity mean to you? How does authenticity intersect with privacy? Is it okay to be a “private” person in 2012?
How has being present on social media caused you to MISS the real-time life that is happening right now? Have you missed special moments because you were on your phone or computer?
Have you ever “pulled back” from the Internet? What happened?
Answer anything from the above or think up your own question. It’s totally open.
I hope you’ll all come back on Monday to link up!
I have been thinking about this topic a lot lately and this is the perfect impetus for me to actually write them down. What a great idea for a link-up! See you Monday!
I blogged recently on things I want my kids to know about using social media. I hope it is along the lines of what you’re looking for as I was frustrated by finding out about hospitalizations, and even deaths, of family members via Facebook.
yes!! all of it! i’ll have a link up on monday =) I can’t wait!
Sarah,
Before I began blogging, which was almost a year ago now, I knew I never wanted it to be something that depleted me or my family. It couldn’t be. The temptation is there for me to chase after and follow hard what everyone is doing, but He is jealous for me. He won’t let my heart wander far or long away from the true purpose of why I write.
You have brought up some very great points in your post. In answer to just one question, I have have been practicing taking “about” every 7th week as a week of rest from social media and blogging. I do have one guest for the week, but I stay quiet.
I also take Sundays off, for the most part. This upcoming week, Sunday to Sunday, will be my 3rd time taking a week of rest.
It has taken a step of faith, but it’s something I’ve come to enjoy and look forward to.
I won’t be able to link up on Monday, but I would like to come back here and leave a link in comments. This seems like a really big coincedence, as I’ve never been at your place to read a post and comment, but here I am, reading something you wrote that is very close to my heart — something that is very important to me — as I desire to live out in life what I dare to tap out on the screen.
Hope to connect a bit, and read more about your heart in this.
Michele-Lyn
I don’t facebook, twitter or write a blog and don’t spend a lot of time on the internet…except of course ri read a couple favorite blogs!
I wouldn’t even know how to “link up” on Monday! I have intentianally stayed away from all of that, even when my friends say I must be on facebook, and it can sound tempting. I love the simplicity and I feel I connect with others, just in a more personal way, face to face or by phone. What a blessing to see my 15 year old daughter love to send and receive handwritten letters…such a lost art. Maybe I am not up on the latest social media, but I feel that I am growing in peace in my life, even if at times my journey becomes a bit stormy at times. Even though I now live in the suburbs of a larger city, perhaps the love of simplicity is due to having grown up on an Indiana farm where friends and neighbors or acquaintances just stopped in (no phoning ahead…who ever heard of that?) for a cup of coffee or a chat in the field. I have discovered that quality time is one of my love languages. Whatever it is, I am so very fine with it right now.
Oh my, I know this feeling. I used to read blogs every day, post as many comments as I could to be supportive and blog five times a week, as well link my post to Facebook. My it was draining, but I had a dream to eventually become a published author of something. And I did shoot for the stars….but when you give your all to one thing, another falls to the back burner. My girls, just five and almost two were the victims. I found myself spending hours on the computer editing, posting several pictures, linking up to any blog I could find. I would ignore them for soo long till their tiny whiny voices cracked through. And instead of being joyful that they yearned, no needed my time and attention I lashed out
“Just a few more minutes! I’ll be done soon! Go play! Out of the room! I’ll be out soon!”
But five minutes always inevitably turned to twenty minutes, and in the end we wound up with an unhappy Mommy and girls. Un-necessary tears. My decisions needed to be re-evaluated, my motives analyzed. Why was I doing this again? Why was it important for me to be published author? I am blessed, I am a stay at home Momma, but I wasn’t acting like it. Frustration turned to prayer, lots of it, and then a calm set in and perspective swelled my eyes. Seasons, it is all about seasons, a time to sow, a time to reap, a time to put my girls first and be the Momma I was meant to be. They grow so fast, I will miss their small giggles, their eagerness to wrap their bitty arms around me and whisper
“I love you Mommy.”.
Soon it will all be gone to fast. I’m not willing to give that up. So a media diet is what I went on. I still blog, about once a week, but I don’t really edit, nor do I post a zillion pictures and link up to anyone, not now. Someday I’m sure I will be back into the crazy-ness that is blogging, but for now my Season is to be with my kids, and I’m at peace with that.
i love that danielle!! thank you!