Dear Trybe,
As you might already know, I took a break recently.
Ever since I burnt out at the start of the year, I’ve formed the habit of going off whenever my mind tells me “time out.” I have to say, I’ve been enjoying it a lot.
Usually, when I go on breaks, I’d go off social media or in most cases, Instagram. I don’t post anything, I don’t engage anyone, I don’t even open the app. However, I could be on Twitter catching cruise, so I wouldn’t really call them “social media” breaks. More like “content creator/community manager” breaks.
This time around though, the only thing I didn’t do was post on my feed. I was still uploading stories, responding to DMs and even engaging other accounts. And when I wasn’t online, I was busy reading a sweet series that I’ve been stuck on since a fortnight ago, or working, as the case may be.
You see, the only reason why I was able to do that was because I didn't need a social media detox perse. I just needed a break from the pressure of always needing to “show up.”
That’s the thing about being consistent, you know. People begin to expect it of you. Eventually, you get to that point where, if for any reason at all, you decide to “slack”, it’d feel as though you’re committing a crime. Funny, I know😅 But it’s the truth.
It’s like “How can I not show up? They already know I post at so-so time on so-so days. I’ve been doing that for three months now. Imagine not doing it tomorrow. Ah! They will think something has happened, they might even decide I’m not worth following anymore. What if they leave? Oh dear. I can’t slack off. I need to keep showing up. I need to keep this momentum, maintain this streak.”
And without even realising it, you begin to feel overwhelmed because you’re putting yourself under undue pressure, too much of it, for that matter.
Was that what happened with me?
Well, kinda. Mostly, I was psychologically overwhelmed because of the empath that I am. The thing about empaths is that they can’t only they’ll feel your pain, as they try to comfort you, they also take that pain as their own.
I’ve learned the fine art of detaching that’s necessary to do the kind of work I do, however, there are things that still get to me. So yes, my mind was reeling from all the emotional and psychological turmoil I’ve had to help people through.
On top of all of that, I still had to find a way to balance my main hustle, content creating and posting, responding to engagements, engaging others. Fam! When I tell you it felt like I was suffocating. The pressure!
I just knew nah, I had to take a break. I needed time away to stop worrying about what content to post, how to develop an idea I have, what conversation would be perfect for the present mood, or a particular time of posting, how to arrange posts to stick to the “aesthetics”, how to balance the featured posts so that my page doesn’t appear confusing or too salesy. Most importantly, I just wanted to not have to worry about not showing up, to not worry about creating content or writing threads and just… be.
A few days to myself, a few days as just me, Comfort, another regular IG user, not Phoenix.Blvck, community manager and counsellor 😅
So, what did I do? I gave myself the permission to go for it, to put myself first. And I did just that!
Yup, that’s it, the entire gist behind my break.
Why am I sharing? Well, for one, I always share.
For two, I want to encourage you to do the same. If you’ve been working so hard at something, anything at all, and you’re beginning to feel overwhelmed, please, give yourself permission to unplug and just BE.
Don’t push yourself until you begin to crack under unnecessary pressure, especially if it’s one you’re placing on yourself.
That assignment, that community, that project, even that deadline (yes, you’re allowed to miss deadline if you’re too worn-out to function optimally), everything can wait, you come first!
And you know the best part? When your mind and body feel well rested, they’d surprise you with how well they’d perform! Ideas will just be flowing from left to right, energy will just be surplus. Gbas gbos of creativity!
What would people say? See, people who get it will get it. And those who don’t? Well, why bother yourself with the opinions of persons who think rest isn’t important? Sho get?
My dear, even machines cannot continue to run 24/7, if not they’ll break down. So yeah, this is me reassuring you now, it’s okay to take breaks.
In the voice of that famous IG voice over; Hanhan, relaaakkxxxx. Relaaaakxxxx. Issokay. You deserve it!
With Love,
XOXO,
Phoenix
💞💋