Social Media Stress

Let’s muse for a moment about social media responses.

I love social media. In this world of instant gratification I know that I can see what's happening everywhere in real time! I get to watch all my friends’ kiddos grow up right before my eyes. I get to celebrate their victories with them or pray for them when they’re going through a hard time. I see a need and can immediately meet it. Hear a prayer request and immediately pray. See a success and instantly add my congratulations to the mix. I love the social aspects of social media! Crazy, right?

Let's not forget the business advantages of social media. There’s an entire world of advertising and interacting with our guests(my husband and I own a motel and an inn in Maine) that’s very helpful. Social media helps us all to stay connected to people, day to day, that we may not interact with on a regular basis without it.

Social media also helps me to process through some stuff. I love to be sarcastic when something ridiculous has happened. I like to share my proud mom moments with my family and friends who couldn’t be there in person. If I’m feeling strongly about something, either positively or negatively, I write my guts out in a blog. Now, I do have other ways to manage my stress lest you think I've completely lost my mind. I handle stress by talking with my husband and my family, praying, remaining silent and in deep thought, working out always gets me in a better mood, but I really do love processing on social media. I think there’s an aspect about it for me that keeps me authentic in my life. Sometimes, we get so caught up in sharing all the amazing, fairy tale stuff that we never share the real, mucky stuff. That feels fake to me and I hate fake. I love the social media outlets when people get real. For example, I had a bad day or my kids are morons and I'm a failure. How about, I’m about to stab everyone's eyeballs out with my fork, please help me. Ya know, the stuff that makes you giggle and remember a time when you were in a bad spot, too. You can add some encouraging words to their dramatic dilemma. You can show up at someone’s house with a bottle of wine and some chocolate to pull them out of their predicament. You can add a Bible verse to uplift and edify them. Somehow, putting something out there on social media is freeing. Please don’t misunderstand me here, I’m not talking about the, “WHOA, I think you should get counseling for that,” kinda sharing, but I mean the sub-par day kinda sharing. The, Somebody, Tell me I’m Not Alone, kinda sharing. That’s the stuff I love.

My social media sites include this blog, Facebook, my personal page,and Conquer Facebook, which is my Life Coaching and Health and Wellness page. Also, Spillover Facebook, my Motel and Inn business page. Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and I’m certain that I’m forgetting some. You get the picture. I am on social media …a lot. I'm connected. Ya know? These social media pages and sites are mine. I am in charge of them. I share whatever I want, say whatever I want, post whatever I want. They are me in photos, and quotes, Bible verses and statements. They represent me by sarcasm, sassiness, sauciness and sniveling. I share my emotions and my feelings, my opinions and my thoughts. My defeats and my victories. Ultimately, I share anything that I want to share. Remember, all of these pages are mine so I get to do that.

Sometimes, social media causes unnecessary drama. I would never intentionally try to hurt anyone’s feelings. I try to never be passive aggressive about an issue. I prefer talking to a person who has truly hurt my feelings rather than rant about it on social media. Sometimes, though, my feelings are hurt and it’s me being overly emotional so I choose to just be sarcastic and funny and post about it or blog about it. Sometimes, I think, “someone else has felt this way and I need to write about this.” Sometimes, a situation is just too darn ridiculous or crazy to NOT share. I can't make this life up and there are moments that I am compelled to share with you! Or, if I’m posting about something instead of talking about it perhaps it’s not that important to me but I’m refining my reactions because I want to and it’s funny. Plus, I'm not that witty on the spot so I have to think up clever comebacks later. This is my prerogative. It’s my feelings, my mouth, my brain, and my social media site! It’s my voice and I get to speak, out loud, with my voice.

Now, here comes the drama part...you might not like what I have to say. So, don’t like it. Unfollow me. Unfriend me. Don’t read my blog. That’s YOUR prerogative! Here is an amazing thing about people... we are all different. We all work stuff out differently and we have unique thoughts and opinions. You do not have to like what I’m sharing or saying. That’s OK! Don’t like it. In fact, you aren’t the one that I’m writing to anyways. I’m probably being sarcastic to get a laugh from people who DO like me. I am looking for affirmation from my friends who CAN relate to me. I am trying to share things to help people who WANT to be helped. IF you don’t fit into this category then just keep going on your merry way without giving my post another thought. It’s ok. Really. You have no idea how many people I've unfollowed on Facebook because they were irritating me. These people are genuinely lovely people face to face but I don't like what they post on Facebook so I unfollow them. No biggie. I'm certain many have unfollowed me, too. That's ok. There doesn't need to be any stress over something that you or I don't agree with at all. In fact, if we don't see it or hear it or talk about it then it doesn't even exist in our worlds and that's good for us! I know my husband would agree :-)

If I had wanted to talk to you about something, I would have. If I didn't then it's not that important. I trust the same from you. If you wanted to talk to me about something then you would've talked to me about it. Let's stop taking everything so personally. Let's understand that not everything on social media is about you or about me. Most of the time it's not about us at all. Say it with me, "This is probably not about me." ahhhhh.......doesn't that feel wicked good.

Follow people who you enjoy and stop following people who annoy you or who cause you stress.

Simple. Bam. Done.