This is Too Much
On Writer's Block and Navigating the Noisiness of Social Media & Content Creation
The kids are finally down for the night. Bedtime always feels like a well-earned victory. I say my final goodnights and I love yous as I close my son's door, walk down the hallway to my room, and flop on my bed. After another long, hard-fought day of solo parenting, I just need a few moments to decompress. There are a few toy stragglers left on the living room floor, a few more dishes that need to be put away, and I still need to eat and desperately need to shower. But instead, I take a deep breath, unlock my phone, and tap on that multi-colored magenta, pink, purple, and orange app.
//
The last week, I've been experiencing writer's block. It's been difficult to get back into a groove in this space after prioritizing family and work engagements the last several weeks. In my head, I know what I want to write, but I'm struggling with what I feel like I should write. I'm used to showing up and sharing tips, tricks, and recommendations.
How to Take Personal Responsibility for Your Life
How to Position Yourself for a Purposeful and Intentional Year
How to Redefine Your Priorities
These are all wonderful and helpful topics, blogs, and articles I've written about in the past, but writing these kinds of things in this season feels a little... disingenuous.
Yesterday, I was on Marco Polo catching up with my friend while cleaning up from breakfast. "I just feel like I'm not in a season where I'm in a ‘tippy’ mood. I don't feel like giving out a lot of ‘here's how to ___, here are these tips to ____.’ I'm not really feeling that right now, because, for me personally, I don't need one more thing to do or become right now."
I touched a little bit more on this in my last monthly reflection.
"And sometimes, when we are in these places, deep in the messy, murky middle, while tips and tricks are helpful, they are not enough. We don’t need another thing to do or become. We just simply need to hear a “me too.”
Sometimes, tips and tricks are noisy and overwhelming.
//
I log onto Instagram and see the highlighted multi-colored circles. I tap and swipe through several stories before scrolling through the posts and reels in my feed. Immediately, I am inundated with carousels and reels on how to process through ___ emotion, how to navigate through ___ aspect of parenting/motherhood, how to grow in faith, the latest clothing, water bottle, or book I need to buy, trip recaps, family/ life updates. And some of these posts are from people I'm not even following? 🤔
And for the first time ever, I said to myself, This is too much.
In one of my recent (Joy)Caps, I shared one of the realest posts I read here on Substack by
.While also experiencing a temporary writer’s block and ruthlessly unsubscribing from emails and unfollowing podcasts and social media accounts, she describes this task as an endless, bottomless pit.
"No matter how much I unsubscribe, I am still drowning in content. Perhaps this is at the root of my current writer’s block: I do not want to contribute to anyone’s drowning. I do not wish to make 'content.' I wish to make art. Slow, meaningful, honest, gritty, from-the-depths-of-my-heart, never-enhanced-by-AI, art."
Like Ashlee, this is where I struggle and is also one of the contributing factors to my writer's block. I don't just want to create content for content's sake. I want to write and share in a way that is authentic to me and is deeply meaningful and moving for others. I want to connect, but I don't want to contribute to the chaos and noise we are met with with a tap, swipe, and scroll of a single finger.
I believe that is why I am so drawn to and am sharing more in my Freely & Lightly section here on Substack. I don't want to be burned out and burdened by constantly striving to meet social-media-saturated standards and expectations. I don't want to be pressured by an algorithm or self-imposed timelines. I don't want to do anything else. I don't want to force anything. I just want to show up and just be.
Substack is my space to do that.
I admit and acknowledge that I am in a low-capacity season, which may be one of the factors contributing to why I have a lower tolerance for social media, content, etc., at the moment. And who knows? I'm sure there will be times when I feel led to share more helpful and personal growth topics here and there, but the beauty is, like Ashlee resolved, that's for me to decide.
There's no need to perform and prove.
"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me —watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
Matthew 11:28 (MSG)
Speaking of connection, I am toying around with the idea of potentially hosting a book club here on Substack. It would be a widely-read book club, meaning we would read across several genres and subgenres within fiction and non-fiction. I am still working out the details of the format and what that would look like, but if you are interested, please complete the poll and let me know, and I will send more details later.
Encouraged by this post?
Your support helps me to continue to create meaningful and encouraging content that helps people surrender their season and trust God in their journey, as well as provides you the opportunity to receive these honest and heartfelt essays and access like-minded community. Consider becoming a paid subscriber today.
Any news on the book club? xx