How To Stop Caring About What People Think
I first came across Hashtag Creative when a friend of mine shared this episode on her Instagram Stories. I was instantly intrigued by the title and loved every minute of it when I gave it a listen. If you're someone who is prone to #fomo (*raises hand*) or is afraid of being judged (*raises other hand*) this episode is for you.
The host speaks with Sas Petherick, a coach who specializes in helping women overcome self-doubt (swoon) and find their self-belief. Together they discuss what happens when you outsource your self-worth to other people, how social media plays on our need as humans to feel love and belonging, and why we can never know what people are really thinking.
Caring about what people think about me, specifically when I’m on Instagram (not so much Facebook), is 100% a problem that I have. A while ago I deleted my Instagram because I had lost control of my grid. I’m not a photographer or a designer, so it still baffles me that I felt so wrapped up in the uniformity of its aesthetics.
I restarted my Instagram with the intention of reinventing myself as this inspo-wedding goals blogger influencer but I immediately lost steam, because seriously, what was I thinking??? I saw how much better other creative folks were using their platform and I felt like I couldn’t keep up with their raw #instagoals aesthetics.
I took a micro break from Instagram and did some soul-searching. I mostly listened to podcasts such as Hashtag Creative and turned to Twitter to switch up how I spent my time on social media. I am posting on Instagram regularly again, but I’m happier with these posts and less afraid. I’m not overthinking it, I’m not using the same filter for each image, or maintaining a consistent theme for my feed.
I realized now that I was misplacing my creative energy. When it should have been focused on writing, I was instead intent on creating a beautiful Instagram feed. That’s not me, and it never will be.