I mean that’s a pretty obvious answer: It happened when Instagram became “the next big thing” a few years ago.
When you think about it, Instagram and social media and the digital space in general is seriously taking over (most of) our lives. We wake up and check our emails. We sit on the subway and go through our Twitter feeds. We step in a crowded elevator and mindlessly scroll, scroll, scroll in order to avoid contact with others.
I’m super guilty of this too. As an influencer, it’s easy to get caught up in always being “on”. And I get that it’s what I signed up for, ya know the whole sharing my life thing. The more I think about it, the more it bothers me that SO much of our lives are consumed by our phones and social media. I’ve been trying hard to make it a point to make a conscious effort to actually live in the moment.
Here are some things I think about when I realize I’m not really living in the moment.
At the end of the day, do people honestly care?
Nowadays most people follow a lot of bloggers/influencers/brands. A LOT OF THEM. Will people HONESTLY notice that you haven’t posted in a few days? Sometimes I feel so stupid for trying to justify to my followers and readers why I don’t post. Sure, maybe some people will. But I shouldn’t have to justify it to anyone. I know people follow me because they want to see my content, but no one is persecuting me for not posting.
Put your phone down and enjoy the moment
This can be a hard one to remember. I always think about this when I’m busy trying to get a video of something. While I’m trying to preserve a “memory” through video, part of me just completely misses out on living in the actual moment. Why? Because I’m too busy trying to get the damn video. This past weekend was actually SUPER refreshing. While we were out in the Hamptons, I wasn’t on my phone much. I posted a few times in the morning or before bed, but that was it. I wasn’t mindlessly scrolling at any point during the weekend. Even Allie (who we tease for notoriously being on her phone) put her phone to the side for the weekend and didn’t feel the need to go on Instagram. We were having fun just hanging out by the pool, going out to dinners, going paddle boarding in the ocean, watching the sunset at Wolffer, and going to SoulCycle classes. And guess what? She said IT WAS NICE. Look at this progress people!!!
Instagram vs. Reality
I had a great conversation with my friend and favvvvorite SoulCycle instructor, Mantas, at dinner one night about Instagram. When our dinner arrived, he said “Wow I can’t believe I’m with influencers right now, and no one had to stop me from eating my food.” While it was a funny joke, it definitely got us all thinking. He even brought it up in class the next day — Instagram doesn’t matter. Why look up from your bike and try to be perfect? It’s not Instagram. Things don’t have to be perfect or look perfect. Just do what you’re doing in the moment and enjoy it. Oh and it’s ALWAYS super important to remember that Instagram is 100000% a highlight reel of someone’s life.
How do you choose to live in the moment?
