Tag: social media

2021: Second Quarter Goals Recap

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I was super late with writing my second quarter goals post so it really does feel like just yesterday that I was writing these. Quarterly goals are important to me because they give me something to constantly work on unlike New Years Resolutions that I quickly forget about.

Second quarter was strange. Michigan started opening back up and at first I was okay with it because I thought I’d still be able to work from home but things change. I’m still waiting on some information but right now I feel really unsure and frustrated. I’m happy to be vaccinated and to have things mostly return to normal but some of the things that changed with Covid were nice and I wish that we were able to maintain them.

Here’s a quick recap on my Q2 goals:

  • Spend at least 30 minutes everyday doing something that I enjoy. I was pretty good about this. As things started to open up I found myself slipping into a pretty negative mental space and had a harder time with this goal. I still tried to prioritize things that would make me happy. I’ve loved re-reading the Harry Potter books, working on my garden, and spending time with my sister and her new baby, Lucas. I’ve been able to visit her in New Hampshire twice this quarter which has been the highlight of my summer so for.
  • Work on my nighttime routine. I also slipped a bit with my nighttime routine but I want to get better. I just wasn’t feeling having a whole nighttime routine most days but it’s something I really want to work on.
  • Be a positive change at work. I was feeling really great about this goal until recently when more changes happened at work. I still want to be a positive change but I might have to fake it until I make it for a bit.
  • Be patient with myself. I am really hard on myself but I’m trying to be more patient with myself. I’ve always had myself on some sort of timeline and that’s not working out this time which is super frustrating. I’m still trying to give myself grace and be patient with myself.
  • Continue taking a break from social media. I’ve kind of failed at this lately but I plan on taking another break soon. I’m much happier being off of social media. It makes me anxious and I hate planning the comparison game so I’d rather just stay away from it. I’ve started unfollowing as many people as possible but it might be nice to just start over if I decide to get back online.

Here’s to hoping that Q3 is better for my mental health and I’m able to enjoy a bit more of my time.

How was Q2 for you? Do you have any plans or goals for the rest of the year?

Photo by Mercedes Mehling on Unsplash

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2021: Second Quarter Goals

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We are already halfway through Q2 but I still wanted to take a moment to share my goals for this quarter. By setting quarterly goals for myself I’m able to actually stick to the goals I set for myself better than if I set goals at the beginning of the year. So much can change in a year so this gives me the chance to re-evaluate every 3 months and set new goals or continue with previous goals if needed.

My goals for Q2 are:

  • Spend at least 30 minutes everyday doing something that I enjoy. I was originally just going to make a goal of spending 30 minutes outside everyday but I want to push myself more than just that. I want to dedicate time everyday to some sort of self-care. That could be taking a walk, reading a book, or working on my garden. Whatever it is I want to be in the mindset of setting this time aside for just me.
  • Work on my nighttime routine. I’ve really been focusing on doing things every night that relax me and set me up for success for the next day. Right now my routine is to log off of work, walk Oscar, make dinner, do the dishes, read Harry Potter while drinking tea, and then shower and go to bed. I try not to watch any tv Monday-Friday and to limit my screen time.
  • Be a positive change at work. I’ve complained about my job for long enough but haven’t done anything really to change the situation. I’m determined to be part of the positive changes that are going to happen on my team. I will be supportive of my teammates and will work hard to be an asset to my team. I also want to make sure that I’m not burning myself out anymore with super long workweeks. I deserve the vacation time that I’m always pushing my teammates to take too.
  • Be patient with myself. This year has been really hard mentally and I’ve brought a lot of it upon myself. I’ve been so hard on myself because I had a goal and I didn’t reach that goal. I feel like I’m drowning in my own expectations sometimes and I need to take a step back and be patient with myself. Good things take time.
  • Continue taking a break from social media. My life is so much better without the constant comparison game that is social media. I’ve eased back into it a bit but I really don’t miss it so I don’t see myself getting sucked completely back in.

You might notice that my goals aren’t that hard this quarter and that’s because I really am trying to cut myself some slack. I’m doing the very best that I can and that’s okay.

How are you doing? Do you have any goals this quarter/month/year?

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Social Media Overload

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I’ve been on social media for at least 15 years. It all started with Bebo (anyone else remember Bebo?) and has transitioned into TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. I’ve been feeling drained with all of the information shared on these platforms and I do contribute some of my anxiety to this information overload.

I started taking a break from all social media platforms on March 1st.. I’ve taken quite a few breaks from blogging over the years and I really do think that it’s okay to take breaks. I’ve only taken one social media break though and it was very short lived and actually resulted in me creating a new Facebook profile so I didn’t have to see all of the negativity associated with my old one.

I don’t know how long this break will last. I’m trying to spend the time I would have spent scrolling through Instagram on things that I actually enjoy like reading, taking Oscar for walks, and planning for my garden.

If I miss a tag or liking a post it’s because of this. I do really miss seeing what people are up to so I will try to focus more on WordPress and reading/commenting on posts. I originally considered WordPress to be something that I needed a break from too but blogging can be really therapeutic so I will continue to stay on here for as long as it remains healthy for me.

Something that I have struggled with since I started this blog was how much I should share. It’s easy to overshare while I’m hiding behind a screen but I have a much harder time confronting these things in my real life. Sometimes it’s better to keep things to myself until I’m ready to share and I feel like this is one of those times. Taking this break from social media will allow me to focus on myself like I really need to.

Have you ever taken a break from social media or blogging? If yes, did you find the break helpful?

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How I Handle the “Real World” & Blogging

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Most people in my “real” life don’t know that I have a blog. It’s not something that I really advertise because I don’t want to answer questions or have people that I know read my blog. Most of the time what I’m posting about is really personal. I share my feelings, views, and opinions without having to worry about too much backlash but I often wonder what would happen if my family, friends, and acquaintances were reading.

I used to share the link to my blog on Facebook and Instagram so it’s not exactly a secret. My Instagram is weird because I post about my blog on stories but not really on the main feed. I’m so weird about it because so many of my “real life” friends and family follow me on Instagram.

All of this weirdness stems from me being an awkward introvert. I have such a hard time talking about my personal feelings in real life and become super awkward and change the subject ASAP.

I guess the truth is that I’m still trying to figure out how to balance blogging and my personal life. Blogging is something that I’m passionate about but I don’t know how I would feel if everyone knew about and read my blog.

How do you handle blogging?

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Five on Friday #14

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Happy Friday! Here’s another list of five random thoughts for your Friday morning! I hope you have a great workday and relaxing weekend!

  1. I found a great Labor Day sale for the Fall FabFitFun box! I’ve wanted to try FabFitFun for awhile now and this seemed like the perfect time. I’ve heard that the fall box isn’t the best but I’m still looking forward to it! Have you tried FabFitFun? Do you think it’s worth getting an annual subscription?
  2. I finally joined the Taylor Swift Lover bandwagon. I loved Taylor back in the day when she was a country singer with super relatable lyrics but as she’s gotten trendier it’s been harder for me to relate to her music. I was apprehensive about Lover but it was all over social media and I got hooked! Every single song is amazing, in my opinion!
  3. When I graduated from high school in 2012 I bought a laptop and have been using it ever since. I really want to upgrade to a MacBook Air so I’ve been saving up. Do you have a MacBook? If you do, do you think they are worth the investment?
  4. I got my fall decorations out yesterday after work and I can’t wait to start decorating! Fall and Christmas are my two favorite to decorate for. My house just feels so cozy!
  5. This weekend I’m going to my grandparent’s house to meet my cousin’s new baby girl. My dad is making ribs and we are going to work on painting my parent’s guest bedrooms. Brett has an airshow this weekend but I just don’t think I’ll have the time or energy to go with him. He really likes it when I go to airshows with him but it’s hard on me. It’s been a really bad headache week and I just need to have a slower paced weekend.

Do you have any plans this weekend?

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The Blogger Comparison Game

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A couple of years ago I took an internet marking class in college that made me decide to quit blogging. I had already been blogging for a couple of years at this point and no longer could handle it. I hated comparing myself to other bloggers and their successes. I hated looking at my stats and feeling like a failure because I couldn’t meet the goals that I had set for myself. I decided that I hated everything about blogging and shut my door to the community that I worked so hard to connect with.

I never thought that I would come out of blogging “retirement” but I’m so glad that I did! I pretty much had to build myself back up from nothing and it was rough. I let fear and self doubt crush everything that I had created and I almost let that fear win.

Blogging in the age of social media influencers is much harder than when I started this blog almost six years ago. When I started writing a blog for a college English class I never expected to love it and want to keep writing after the class was over. Having this space has become my creative outlet and all of you have become my internet friends.

Still, I find myself comparing my little piece of the internet to other’s. I feel a sense of belonging in the blogging community yet still compare my posts and pictures to everyone else’s. I cheer people on while tearing myself down because I’m a perfectionist and nothing ever feels good enough.

The blogger comparison game is real. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way and I wanted to share how I’ve been coping with my feelings.

The wonderful bloggers who I follow are amazing people. I’ve never met them in real life but I can tell because they put so much into their writing. Instead of comparing myself to them I’ve been trying to instead put my energy into engaging and building others up too. If I follow you it’s because I honestly love reading your content and I want you to do well!

As bloggers we have the unique ability to put our thoughts out into the world in either a negative or positive way. Playing this stupid comparison game with myself was a negative behavior and it was hurting my blogging. I will probably never be a social media influencer and that’s okay. I’ll always be a shy introvert who is just happy to share her truth with the world.

Do you find yourself getting caught up in the comparison game? How do you deal with it?

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Five on Friday #11

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Hooray! We made it to Friday! This was my first week back to work after vacation and I’m exhausted.

  1. Fourth of July is next weeks which means that it’s our biggest airshow week of the season. I’m exhausted just thinking about it! The fourth was always my favorite growing up because both sides of my family would get together to celebrate America and my sister’s birthdays. I loved having everyone together at the lake.
  2. We went to Oregon last week on vacation with my friend, Anna Sophie, and her boyfriend. You might remember her from my study abroad posts. We hadn’t seen each other since leaving London in 2015 so it was so nice to catch up! I’m hoping to write a whole post about our trip soon.
  3. Before vacation I was really motivated on my health and fitness journey. My goal is to not only lose weight but to accept my body at every stage along the way. I’ve spent the past couple of years being really terrible to myself with the way I talk about and treat my body and I know that needs to stop. Body image is a huge issue in our current culture and I’ve really had to step back from social media in order to get my head back in a good place.
  4. Going on vacation has really made me realize that I need to spend more time away from work. My work-life balance has gotten much better since last year but I still worry and think about work way too much. I need to step back every once in a while and just worry about me.
  5. I had a neurologist appointment on Monday afternoon and I’m thinking about doing a Migraine update post to share what’s been going on. I haven’t done an update post in awhile because there hasn’t been any updates.

Do you have any plans for this weekend?

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Let’s Chat About Instagram!

Instagram, Blogging, Social Media Blogging
Hey, friends!

I’ve been thinking a lot about Instagram lately and I wanted to get your opinion on it.

I see SO many bloggers connecting with other bloggers on Instagram and I really want to join in on the fun. I have an account but I use it for my personal life and have friends and family follow me. I feel awkward promoting my blog on my personal Instagram. I go to post something and think “no one cares about your blog” and delete it. 90% of my Instagram posts never even make it to the public.

So, what I want to know is what is your opinion on having an Instagram account just dedicated to your blog? I’ve been blogging for almost five years and still don’t feel super comfortable promoting myself to people I know outside of blogging so I think I need to create a separate account.

Would it be okay to create a new Instagram?

Let me know what you think! I would love to discuss!

 

Lifestyle Blog, Life of Hayley

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