As for me and my house…
by Esther (Esther's Diary – Jesus, Life & Shenanigans)
Like many of us, scrolling through Instagram is part of my daily routine and chileee, I see a lot of things. Because I know myself and know that I’m sensitive to what I see and hear, I put a lot of time and effort into tailoring my social media to my personal interests and values. However, taking a long break from social media last year has opened my eyes to so much, one of them being how easy it is for our voice or thoughts to get lost in the midst of all of it.
Like I said, I’m picky about what I choose to follow but we’re exposed to so many opinions, point of views, self proclaimed experts and it can be overwhelming, especially during seasons where we feel more vulnerable than the usual. You know I love telling on myself so here we go:
I was going through a situation that required me to make a decision. My first response is always to talk to God, pray, maybe talk about it to people I trust. It was a hard decision to make, so it wasn’t easy to own it right away, but I was able to find peace in my choice. After a while, I started being active on social media again and that’s when I started second guessing myself. I kept coming across posts addressing my situation and seeing a 1000 different opinions on the topic constantly made me wonder if I had made the right move. I mean, if the IG expert is constantly saying something I don’t agree or relate to, I must be wrong, no? NO.
Truth is, thinking for yourself and making choices others won’t understand or agree with is not always an easy thing to do, it’s something we learn and grow into. It can make you feel vulnerable and uncomfortable, so imagine seeing constant reminders that you may be wrong?
I was constantly triggered, wondering if I had handled the situation properly, when I knew in my heart that I had made the right decision. So why did my heart skip a beat every time I saw a tweet or a post not agreeing with me?
It’s because I wasn’t secure enough in my decision yet. It was still fragile. I was still working through it. I wasn’t sure about what I was doing. I hadn’t embraced it enough to the point where it could withstand opposition. That’s what happens when we expose ourselves prematurely to things we’re not ready for, or expose what God is doing in us too quickly. The sad part is, there’s a lot of people out there who made preying on people’s confusion and brokenness a business strategy, but that’s for another day.
On top of muting and unfollowing, I had to remember that people speak from their own experiences, which is what I’m doing right now and what my whole brand is all about. it’s ME sharing MY experiences, MY lessons, MY journey. Just because it’s true for me doesn’t mean it’s true for others. I can’t make somebody else’s truth my own.
It sounds silly and nobody wants to admit that they’re influenced by what they see and hear but it’s the truth… Don’t be afraid to tailor your content to your needs. Know when to mute or unfollow, and most importantly, know when to take a break. Take time to process things on your own, think for yourself and make your own decisions.
Say it with me:
In 2021, we’re not stressing our partners because an expert on IG said “if a man loves you, he will call you 6 times a day” and yours didn’t. Like. Stop.
We’re not finding flaws in our relationships with our family members or friends just because someone on IG said something that is not a reflection of our reality.
We’re not questioning our career paths and quitting our jobs because B Simone said working 9-5 is whack. (Does she pay your bills?)
We are choosing to shut the noise and only listen to who matters: God and yourself. We’re letting them talk but as for us and our houses… We will mind the business that minds us. Ok?
We got this !
