I resonate so much with this piece Yelena. Thank you for so beautifully expressing it. I’m barely on IG these days for the same reasons as you, and actually officially put a note up that I wasn’t around much. My business page now has an auto dm reply for other ways to connect ie: Substack and email for business inquiries.
I’m exploring ways to dedicate my capacity towards my family and current clients, and to have more time and space to listen more to what the Lord asks of me. That includes not taking in so much of social media—especially the bite sized dopamine content. So I’ll likely be posting and ghosting over there, simply as a vehicle to share the same learnings I’ve processed over here and reach people who aren’t on substack.
I LOVED LOVED your digital gardener post. I think I've read it like half a dozen times at this point and keep gleaning more from it each time!
I'm with you on IG use that way and focusing more on what I already have in the works and on long-form content. I am realizing how much short form content is re-wiring our brains in a bad way and I don't want to be part of feeding that beast anymore or consuming from it.
We also have been told that today you can't grow as a writer or a business owner without being active on IG, and I'm realizing that's a complete lie. People have built businesses for thousands of years without social media- there is a way, it's just the slower, more intentional way, and in our "get rich quick" world today, that path isn't as appealing as going viral on IG.
Excellent article! Ruth Chou Simmons has an excellent podcast on this topic that I listened to recently because I've been experiencing the tension of this, too. For months, I took a break from social media and decided against posting or sharing. I was struggling with consumption and also how to show up on social media, and whether it was even worth it to show up. A month or so ago, I felt the push to return to media but to work with intentionality in what I post. I created a separate Instagram (one that specifically focuses on encouragement or blog content that I post here, but share in tidbits on the gram' for ministry wives, families, or church folk in general) from my personal one, and that helped a lot. With my personal Instagram, I like to use it for silly posts, pictures of my family/kids, and life updates that I don't want the public privy to. It's still hard at times, but I definitely want to show up with intentionality.
Ooo! I want to listen - is it the one called 5 guardrails for navigating social media?
I do think it is wise to take breaks from social media - it's almost like allowing the soil to rest for a garden in the winter. And as a result, you come back renewed and with a fresh perspective / new growth. Excited to check out your content. Being a ministry wife is a unique calling that is often either ignored or misconstrued in Christian circles.
I absolutely loved this Yelena! It is an incredible responsibility- yet ultimately with His guidance we can discern what is best to share! Also, approaching what we share with grace and a longevity mindset (which we should do with all words and actions online and off)! Beautifully written, thank you 🤍
Thank you so so much for this, Yelena. I’ve recently returned to my writing Instagram after a long hiatus and immediately feel that uncomfortable, anxious, gross feeling after almost everything I post — which is only multiplied when I start judging my content’s worth by its number of likes. The temptation to “ghost and post” is constant, so I really appreciate your thoughts on stewarding our online presence well and on some healthy boundaries we can set for ourselves — some of which I definitely want to set (or re-set) in place for myself. Thanks for showing up here and for being generous with what God is sharing with you! <3
I'm glad i'm not the only one who has that feeling with posting on IG. I've thought about going off IG completely, but I keep having the thought that there's people on there that still need to hear what God is putting on my heart, so I've been praying a lot for discernment of what exactly to share and when on there and then being quick to delete the app to stop the mindless scrolling/consumption and refreshing to check likes and comments and metrics!
Thanks for tackling this topic….Like you, awhile back I started getting the ick every time I shared anything on IG and just backed away entirely and haven’t missed it. I still have an interest in being somewhat present-ish online even though, historically for me, it’s not how I best share my thoughts or develop relationships. It’s partially a lack of patience and discernment on my part, partly a sheer personality disinclination to be easily rendered online?? Idk, I’ve been thinking a lot about it as I’ve developed different ideas for my own personal “creative outlet” online projects.
I like your idea of us as legacy keepers — keeps it grounded. In this day and age we get to choose how much of an (online) audience to go after whereas before everyone was pretty limited to just their immediate homes and communities. I’m more cut out for the latter 😅 but I love seeing what others share and how they graciously grow an outreach, and I benefit from the thoughts and writings my favorite follows share.
I love that you're more cut out for the latter - it's something I aspire to focus on more since I tend to naturally gravitate more towards writing online, but in recent years, especially since becoming a mom, i've felt a shift away from writing and sharing online and a desire to put deeper roots down in my offline life instead. It's been an interesting shift to navigate!
I suspect this is exactly what I needed to read this morning. For years, writing was one of my only communication outlets, but even then, I weighed my words very carefully (which I still think is a good skill). However, a few years ago, the communication balance shifted, and now I engage in a lot more face-to-face, one-on-one communication...which is amazing! But there's still a lot of extra water in that well, and I'm still discerning how to steward it.
i can relate to this. I feel like I'm in that shift of less writing, more in person relationship building, but I am realizing it's not just one or the other, but finding a balance of both!
So much thoughtfulness in this piece. “Multiplication for his glory” — I love that!
I resonate so much with this piece Yelena. Thank you for so beautifully expressing it. I’m barely on IG these days for the same reasons as you, and actually officially put a note up that I wasn’t around much. My business page now has an auto dm reply for other ways to connect ie: Substack and email for business inquiries.
I’m exploring ways to dedicate my capacity towards my family and current clients, and to have more time and space to listen more to what the Lord asks of me. That includes not taking in so much of social media—especially the bite sized dopamine content. So I’ll likely be posting and ghosting over there, simply as a vehicle to share the same learnings I’ve processed over here and reach people who aren’t on substack.
We’ll see how He works through this!
I LOVED LOVED your digital gardener post. I think I've read it like half a dozen times at this point and keep gleaning more from it each time!
I'm with you on IG use that way and focusing more on what I already have in the works and on long-form content. I am realizing how much short form content is re-wiring our brains in a bad way and I don't want to be part of feeding that beast anymore or consuming from it.
We also have been told that today you can't grow as a writer or a business owner without being active on IG, and I'm realizing that's a complete lie. People have built businesses for thousands of years without social media- there is a way, it's just the slower, more intentional way, and in our "get rich quick" world today, that path isn't as appealing as going viral on IG.
Love this!! Thank you for sharing!
Excellent article! Ruth Chou Simmons has an excellent podcast on this topic that I listened to recently because I've been experiencing the tension of this, too. For months, I took a break from social media and decided against posting or sharing. I was struggling with consumption and also how to show up on social media, and whether it was even worth it to show up. A month or so ago, I felt the push to return to media but to work with intentionality in what I post. I created a separate Instagram (one that specifically focuses on encouragement or blog content that I post here, but share in tidbits on the gram' for ministry wives, families, or church folk in general) from my personal one, and that helped a lot. With my personal Instagram, I like to use it for silly posts, pictures of my family/kids, and life updates that I don't want the public privy to. It's still hard at times, but I definitely want to show up with intentionality.
Ooo! I want to listen - is it the one called 5 guardrails for navigating social media?
I do think it is wise to take breaks from social media - it's almost like allowing the soil to rest for a garden in the winter. And as a result, you come back renewed and with a fresh perspective / new growth. Excited to check out your content. Being a ministry wife is a unique calling that is often either ignored or misconstrued in Christian circles.
So relatable. I’m honestly trying to please Him, not the world and you articulated that so perfectly. ❤️
I absolutely loved this Yelena! It is an incredible responsibility- yet ultimately with His guidance we can discern what is best to share! Also, approaching what we share with grace and a longevity mindset (which we should do with all words and actions online and off)! Beautifully written, thank you 🤍
Thank you Emily! Yes, looking from a longevity perspective on what we write and share is so transformational!
Thank you so so much for this, Yelena. I’ve recently returned to my writing Instagram after a long hiatus and immediately feel that uncomfortable, anxious, gross feeling after almost everything I post — which is only multiplied when I start judging my content’s worth by its number of likes. The temptation to “ghost and post” is constant, so I really appreciate your thoughts on stewarding our online presence well and on some healthy boundaries we can set for ourselves — some of which I definitely want to set (or re-set) in place for myself. Thanks for showing up here and for being generous with what God is sharing with you! <3
I'm glad i'm not the only one who has that feeling with posting on IG. I've thought about going off IG completely, but I keep having the thought that there's people on there that still need to hear what God is putting on my heart, so I've been praying a lot for discernment of what exactly to share and when on there and then being quick to delete the app to stop the mindless scrolling/consumption and refreshing to check likes and comments and metrics!
Thanks for tackling this topic….Like you, awhile back I started getting the ick every time I shared anything on IG and just backed away entirely and haven’t missed it. I still have an interest in being somewhat present-ish online even though, historically for me, it’s not how I best share my thoughts or develop relationships. It’s partially a lack of patience and discernment on my part, partly a sheer personality disinclination to be easily rendered online?? Idk, I’ve been thinking a lot about it as I’ve developed different ideas for my own personal “creative outlet” online projects.
I like your idea of us as legacy keepers — keeps it grounded. In this day and age we get to choose how much of an (online) audience to go after whereas before everyone was pretty limited to just their immediate homes and communities. I’m more cut out for the latter 😅 but I love seeing what others share and how they graciously grow an outreach, and I benefit from the thoughts and writings my favorite follows share.
I love that you're more cut out for the latter - it's something I aspire to focus on more since I tend to naturally gravitate more towards writing online, but in recent years, especially since becoming a mom, i've felt a shift away from writing and sharing online and a desire to put deeper roots down in my offline life instead. It's been an interesting shift to navigate!
I suspect this is exactly what I needed to read this morning. For years, writing was one of my only communication outlets, but even then, I weighed my words very carefully (which I still think is a good skill). However, a few years ago, the communication balance shifted, and now I engage in a lot more face-to-face, one-on-one communication...which is amazing! But there's still a lot of extra water in that well, and I'm still discerning how to steward it.
i can relate to this. I feel like I'm in that shift of less writing, more in person relationship building, but I am realizing it's not just one or the other, but finding a balance of both!