It’s Okay To Take A Break From Social Media

It’s Okay To Take A Break From Social Media

Dress: ASOS; Coat: Revolve (similar here and here); Hat: Zara (similar here); Shoes: Pairs in Paris (similar here and here)

The start of 2018 was a strange one for me. For the first time in God knows how long, I went on a trip which wasn’t focused on content creation. I traveled to Vietnam with my best friends, knowing that I probably wasn’t going to get any pictures or be able to write a travel guide. It was during this time that I began running out of pictures to post on Instagram. So I did something uncharacteristic of me – I didn’t post on Instagram for a day.

To be honest, I was nervous; irrationally nervous. I also felt guilt. Guilty for being neglectful and not working hard enough, which in retrospect is absolutely ludicrous.

But to my shock, nothing happened. My Instagram didn’t shut down. No one chanted ‘shame’ at me in a Cersei-like scene. My life went on as it normally would.

As a creator, I think there’s so much pressure to constantly pump out content. And a lot of the times, creators let this all-consuming pressure get to them and post content just for the sake of it  – filler content, if you will.  I speak from experience – in 2017, I posted a picture on Instagram 363 out of 365 days. The two days I missed were on account of long haul flights during which I had no internet.

However, after this experience, I realized that it’s okay to take a break from posting. It’s okay not to feel inspired all the time. It’s okay to run out of pictures and not go into a frenzy about having to go out and shoot pictures right there and then.

So at the beginning of this year, I made a little promise to myself: that I’d focus on quality over quantity. No more filler pictures. This year, I want my content to be dynamic, meaningful, and most importantly, something I can stand behind. And if that means I don’t post for a few days, then so be it. But I refuse to be a part of a cycle that pressures creators to post every freaking day and never take a day off.

Fellow creators, I want to ask, can you relate to the feeling of having to post every single day, come hell or high-water? I’d love to get your thoughts on this and hear your experiences!

Photography: Michaela Efford

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14 Comments

  1. February 14, 2018 / 2:14 pm

    I feel more guilty about not updating The Fashion Folks five times a week than social media. I feel there’s more pressure about updating my website too as it’s what people expect, they know there’s a new article daily Monday-Friday. I’ve improved though the last months and can accept quality over quantity – it’s refreshing, honestly! Xx

    http://www.thefashionfolks.com

  2. February 14, 2018 / 3:07 pm

    Wow that’s crazy that you posted that much on insta. I wish i had that dedication. Don’t feel bad for not posting for one day, we will always be here regardless.
    http://sugarcoatedbears.blogspot.com/

    • siffat.h91@gmail.com
      Author
      February 14, 2018 / 3:41 pm

      Aww thanks Courtney, I feel so blessed to have such a supportive community!

  3. February 14, 2018 / 3:29 pm

    I feel the pressure with Instagram for sure and it’s so easy to get caught up in a numbers game. I also feel like I need to post everyday but you’re so right, it’s about quality over quantity!!

    x
    Shloka
    http://www.thesilksneaker.com

    • siffat.h91@gmail.com
      Author
      February 14, 2018 / 3:42 pm

      Totally! It’s so liberating to post when you want as opposed to feeling pressured into posting!

  4. Amita
    February 14, 2018 / 7:34 pm

    This is so interesting! I’d love to post everyday but I find it hard because I don’t have the time to capture content for my Instagram, and then I get scared about engagement and losing followers etc. Especially since this algorithm is so annoying sometimes. Even keeping up with the theme is hard. But I decided to change it up and focus on posting quality pictures, like you said, and stop trying to make a consistent theme as I was losing motivation. I agree with what you’ve said, it’s okay to take a break from Instagram. Loved this post! xx

    amerzwithlove.com

  5. February 15, 2018 / 7:13 am

    First of all- looove the GoT reference, ha! Well I’ve taken a few breaks from social media and I’ve never aimed to post on Insta every day. My jaw hit the ground when I read you posted 365 days out of 367 last year- in fact, I still havn’t picked it up from the floor yet…
    Perhaps if I was blogging full-time, I’d put more pressure on myself but I’m not and have another career focus so it can be tough balancing the two…
    Loving your shaggy fur jacket btw. X

  6. February 15, 2018 / 3:08 pm

    Indeed, it’s 100% okay! I think we all need social media break, especially for the bloggers. It’s important to cherish the real world as it is, away from saturated, and often times unrealistic world of social media. By the way, your photos are stunning dear! Really lovely place.

    Jessica | notjessfashion.com

  7. February 16, 2018 / 8:51 pm

    Hey Siffat. Firstly I applaud you for the 363/365.
    This is what I’ve discovered after observing my favorite (well established) bloggers: posting everyday is not necessary. I’ve always felt something was wrong with that analogy that consistency meant posting a pic a day. What’s important is consistency of quality – to post a great picture whenever you do so. Some of my favorite IGers go 2 weeks without posting but when they do, the photo is gorgeous and fills my heart with inspiration I can stare at it for 10 seconds. They make me long for their posts and I love it.

    I’ve growing my following without posting everyday and it gives me so much peace. I feel like only pages about pop culture/memes/news are expected to post everyday but we – bloggers/humans (personal brands, not corporations) – can definitely enjoy a break whenever we feel like. Stories are a good way to still engage whilst not posting.
    If people love your photos and your feed, they’ll never punish you for not posting. They will wait, just like we wait for our favorite creators when they get a break too.

    The pressure to put something out everyday can easily prompt the creation of generic/uninspiring content which for me is worst than not posting at all.

    Lovely post !!

    http://www.desiringsme.com/desiring-creative-direction/

  8. February 17, 2018 / 2:57 am

    Thank you for this! I’ve been struggling so hard with Instragram for over a year now. I took time away from it and since it has been so hard trying to get back into the swing of things. I’ve felt so much pressure (mostly from myself) to pump something, anything out but I just haven’t had time to “create” or do anything of value. I made myself post everyday back in Jan and that only lasted four days because by the fourth day what I published was just a “filler” and looked so out of place. I was really upset and stepped away from it again. I don’t really know what direction I want to go in either, what filter or theme to utilise. Honestly I just don’t have time to travel or go to fabulous places and restaurants to get those kind of photos. It’ hard enough keeping up with my blog and Instagram has just felt like such a time hungry monster. I’m always feeling guilty about neglecting it. Not just from producing content but in supporting others too. I feel the most guilt there. I’m so absent and feel bad for not commenting and liking others photos when they are always doing so for me. That is what gets me most down. But we shouldn’t feel like that. It should be embraced more that we all need time away and that its fine and normal.

    Sxx
    daringcoco.com

  9. Jessi Malay
    February 19, 2018 / 8:28 pm

    Love what you wrote here babe!! I can relate! I also stopped stressing out about filler photos and make sure to stick to to the “quality over quantity” rule. Since having a baby, it’s been so hard to keep up like I normally do and although I stressed myself out for a while, now I understand that it’s OK to take a few days off posting on IG.

    XO, Jessi
    https://jmalay.com/spring-fashion-trend-dont-want-miss/

    • siffat.h91@gmail.com
      Author
      February 27, 2018 / 3:47 pm

      Right?! It’s such an important lesson for us all to take away. But you do an incredible job with your baby!

  10. February 20, 2018 / 4:06 am

    I felt guilty for not posting too! But I think it’s healthy and necessary to take breaks. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. 🙂

    Catherine X
    http://www.thestylesynapse.com

  11. February 20, 2018 / 3:27 pm

    Firstly I love your new lay out and secondly I can totally relate, I feel the same way if I dont post daily or produce great content, its stressful. BUT like anything in life we need balance so having a break every now and then is a good way to do it 🙂 xx

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