We took a break from Instagram, and here's what happened...
First, let’s back up a little bit.
Chris has been a pilot for 18+ years. We’ve travelled all over the world. I became an expert packer, being able to pack for a week trip in just a carry-on suitcase. Then we had babies and I became a self-proclaimed expert in traveling with kids! I mean, try flying standby, with 3 kids under 7, with a dog, by yourself. Or try packing for a trip in 30 minutes for yourself and 3 kids and travel from Ohio to Hawaii all in the same day…and you guessed it. Flying standby…by yourself. Been there, done that. Yeah, I think I earned that expert badge. My friends would reach out to me all the time, after hearing my travel stories, and ask for tips for traveling with kids.
So I started a travel blog to document our travels and to offer travel tips, itineraries and family friendly destination ideas. Along with the blog, we needed social media accounts like Instagram to help drive traffic. Then, I learned how to monetize the blog and it got exciting! Things moved fast and before I knew it I was working with hotels, events and brands to deliver content in exchange for free stays and money. All that was required was to write a blog and post about our experience on social media. Easy. Y’all, I felt like I made it! I was rocking this blogging thing and I enjoyed it!
Although I try to present our feed in a very honest and real way, what you mostly see are the happy moments. The perfectly dreamy Instagram squares. But what you don’t see in those squares are also real moments, and they matter too. The hard moments.
Moments that….
…my son was struggling with the emotional side of leaving his friends when we moved from Ohio to Texas.
….my son was struggling big time with our homeschool routine and it was frustrating for all of us.
…our marriage was having significant struggles, some of the hardest times we’ve ever faced.
…my friendship with my best friend was struggling over something as stupid as social media.
…my quiet times with God were few and far between. I rarely made time for reading the Bible or in a devotional book or just sitting still praying to God.
…I was a stressed out momma trying to balance the weight of it all.
The main problem, and I’m sure so many of you can relate, is the lack of time.
Intentional time.
Focused, undistracted time.
You see, we’re all given the same 24 hours in a day. But how we choose to use them is what makes the difference. The truth is, you’ll make time for what’s important to you. I kept thinking of the quote, “You can do few things well.”
And that my friends was the issue. I was trying to do ALL THE THINGS, because they all seemed important. Can you momma’s relate?
I was struggling to do all the things well…
-Homeschooling my kids (and now that Covid happened, you all can understand what a full time job this is!)
-Spending quality time with my hubby.
-Taking care of everyone’s needs.
-Trying to be involved in church.
-Blogging and engaging with all the IG accounts.
-Keeping a somewhat organized house.
-Spending time with family.
-Maintaining friendships.
…You get the point, because you already know. You may even feel the weight of those things as you read them. I was at a point that it felt like the walls were caving in and I was going to suffocate under the pressure to do it all.
I just needed a freaking break y’all. I needed to spend the time I would usually take to put into blogging or engaging and put it towards the people that matter most. To let go of all the things weighing me down.
Little did I know, back in January when I officially started our Instagram break, that a similar situation would unfold for ALL of us, thanks to Covid. Each and every one of you took a break. Maybe not from social media, but from normal life. To not engage with society but focus on the things that matter most. To focus on relationships. We were given a WHOLE LOT OF TIME to be intentional in the last few months, amiright?
What have you done, and what have you learned through this time?
I am SO GLAD that I was not on Instagram the last few months. Did I miss anything spectacular? Probably not. Instead of reaching for my phone all the time to check the socials (like I used to) I spent that time with my family. I even read a book.
I spent so much more time just soaking in the moments. Being present. Enjoying.
We played hard. We spent so much stinkin’ time together. We made a quarantine bucket list. We made some really good habits that included devotion time and time in God’s word.
Honestly, Covid quarantine and the break from Instagram helped bring us together in ways that we didn’t even know we needed. And I’m grateful.
There are a few things I’ve taken away from this time…
1) I don’t want to be on my phone all the time. And I don’t want my kids to see me on my phone all the time. I believe scheduling time to devote to blogging and engaging when I have kid-free time (early morning or after bed) is key to trying to be present.
2) I want to keep having intentional time in God’s word and devotion time daily.
3) I want to invest more in our marriage. That may look different in daily life- whether it’s chat time, game night, or now that quarantine is over- DATE NIGHT!
So why would I come back then? Well, here’s the thing. We are going to continue to travel and it actually brings me JOY to blog about it! I love sharing our travels and offering tips. It’s why I started this all in the first place, and I’m not stopping. Just getting started actually. 😉
Now I know the boundaries I need to make so that my time is given well to the most important people. And if this all gets overwhelming again, I know I can easily take a break to refocus.
I hope you hear me loud and clear – make the most of the time you are given.
Slow down.
Enjoy the little moments.
And love others well.
So here’s to a fresh start. Here’s to sharing more adventures with you. Thanks for sticking around friends!
-The Flying Hens
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