Oh hello there.
It’s been about five months since I said cheerio to Instagram. Now I have an urge to return. This most recent deep dive made me realise that I’m not going back on there for ‘business’ as such (which is why none of the pep talks from sales focued biz pals worked on me) I am on there for community. (Which yes, I get it, does feed my business overall but I’m just looking forward to sharing what I hope is helpful stuff with other humans, know what I mean?!)
Back when I was going through a really dark time I had someone DM me with “I hope this isn’t too forward or out of line but I just wanted to check you are ok? I love all of the sunrises you post but I can just feel something sad underneath. I know we don’t know each other but just wanted to say I hope all is well. Hopefully I’m wrong but sending this anyway.”
Months later when I told my sister about this she said that’s why noone knew how bad I was… Because my life looked so beautiful on my stories.
Since then I have gone through so much healing and know to speak up when things are getting too much but at that time, on that day, that DM from a stranger really touched my heart.
It’s funny how you forget these things until it comes time to writing about why you’re returning to Instagram…
I really did need the break. I suffer from overwhelm. I think that’s most of us these days right?! I was not good at boundaries (still a work in progress) and now I’m giving it another shot. You can follow along @jodiplumbleyphotography for new updates but while I’m here I wanted to post some tips for if you are ready for a social break of your own…
FIND A POSITIVE SUBSTITUTE APP
I didn’t actually realise how much I picked up my phone to check Insta. I decided that my substitute was going to be INSIGHT TIMER. I would open up and do a quick 5 minute meditation or do a lesson from a course I’d signed up to. (This involved spending about $88 to upgrade the app for the year but it was a worthy investment IMO) Thanks Insight Timer for all the healing and encouragement since!
My other go-to which I plan to keep up is DUOLINGO. My French is getting polished up faster than Versace silverware. J’ai besoin de pratique et je l’adore!
MAKE SURE YOUR PALS KNOW YOU’RE OFFLINE
Otherwise you risk just looking like a rude bitch.
DON’T SET A TIME - JUST FOLLOW YOUR INTUITION
I never say never (apart from just then) so I treated this as an experiement. I went to return a couple of times but then something threw me off it again. Go with your gut and make up your own rules.
BE PREPARED TO BE TOTALLY OUT OF THE LOOP IN GROUP SITUATIONS
Luckily FOMO is something I don’t suffer from too strongly so I didn’t mind being in this situation. It was also really fun to find out news first hand from friends! Like in the old days!!
MAKE A POINT TO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE MORE IN OTHER WAYS
A long lost friend and I reconnected over our shared exit from socials and we shared texts, voice notes and family photos with each other. We both found how special it felt to receive photos with news intentionally sent rather than just ‘broadcasted’ If you’re an old school romantic like me get out the ol’ rollerball and write a letter… Snail mail is the best surprise and an act of love.
GO EASY ON YOURSELF
Like everything, you need to find what works for you. If your mental health is suffering then try taking a day’s break, or a weekend first. Baby steps and remember it’s all there waiting for when you want to return!
And from a business point of view - although 90% of my enquiries come from Google (thank you Thea Media for my awesome SEO) I ran into a lot of local people who asked if I was still shooting… they hadn’t seen my ‘exit news’ and just thought I wasn’t shooting anymore. Interesting how these things ripple out… So while I have no clear stats I think it did impact my business slightly. Although if I had got my ass into gear and done the Pinterest marketing I was meant to then I think I could have evened it out… I will never knowwwwwwww… Isn’t that the fun of it all?!
Wishing you empowering scrolls and timely breaks when you need.
See you on the Insta squares…
Peace out, JP xx