After my dream vacation in Puerto Rico in April, I noticed something disturbing. I never smile in my pictures anymore.
I can’t even vacation like a “normal” person anymore.
I travel like a blogger now. Although ALL of us are stuck on our phones, searching for the right lighting for the ‘Gram, bloggers take it to a WHOLE other level.
My husband and I noticed a crowd of girls on the beach who were taking a thousand selfies. We were on an island near Puerto Rico and these girls were seriously taking selfies and group pics for about 30 minutes. Did they even get in the water? It was a serious mission to get to this island and this particular group of girls took pictures FOR DAYS!
When I stopped judging, I was hit with a scary truth.
We’re basically all trying to capture moments, whether we have a website or not. Think about it. If you take a cool hike, order a fancy meal or meet up with friends on a weekend, don’t you want to document it? We hiked through a rainforest for 40 minutes to reach a beautiful waterfall. Most of the visitors were taking damn selfies or Snapchats right next to me. And if I wasn’t a blogger or influencer, guess what? I’d still be snapping pictures by the waterfall to document our journey.
We don’t realize how lucky we are to have these portable devices that capture memories and photos that only get catalogued on social media. How could I feel like I “unplugged” during my vacation if I’m just waiting to upload videos when I get a Wifi signal?
This summer I want to explore more mindfulness, for myself, as well as for my readers. I didn’t feel jazzed about returning to blog work in May after my trip. In fact, I had a serious mental block. My anxiety returned and I have been questioning how I can pivot this brand into more than a blog.
Being obsessed with social media and always pushing my brain for content finally wore me out. Click To TweetIt dragged me to a level where I couldn’t even half ass pick out dinner for my family. My decision-making skills were left on that Fantasy Island.
Yet, with 2 years of brand building, community building and blog content under my belt, I knew I couldn’t just disappear. I’m no quitter.
But I want to capture memories like a normal person again. I want to put on a full smile and not care if the picture doesn’t make it to the blog.
So this summer’s journey of exploring mindfulness will take a new spin.
Join me as we re-evaluate our habits, look at the world through new eyes and take selfies just for the hell of it!
How do you unplug during a vacation? Do you feel consumed by the obsession to take pictures everywhere you go?
