(over)sharing
Many of you have wondered where I have been the past few months. Since my last article was shared, I have made some drastic strides in my personal/professional life that could have certainly been ‘posted’ somewhere. I mean, I completed a Ph.D. on my mothers birthday and moved to California days later. My family life is…well, as healthy as one’s family could be (if you know them Williams’, you know they be wildin). My friends are prospering at incredible levels. My relationships with those in my inner-circle are strong and fruitful. Life is good for Savant, but that is not why we are here. In fact, it is quite the opposite of the reason we are here. If you do not know me on a personal level, this is probably news to you and to be real…that is exactly how I want it to be. Why, you might ask? Because I believe that it is of utmost importance to protect one’s energy at all costs, beware of oversharing, and remain focused on what is important to progression: balance. There is so much joy in the present, which is why I haven’t felt inclined to share anything…until now.
More times than not, I believe that being private is more valuable than sharing every little thing about one’s life. Social media has developed into a space consumed with the constant sharing of thoughts and expressions. For some, it is a beautiful space where people from all across the globe can interact, meet, and stay in contact with one another. As such, social media can be useful because it allows us to be more connected with others as our lives progress. There is also something to be said about the value of business being done via social media, the way that businesses can reach a wider audience, and the way that ‘viral’ sensations can drastically change people’s lives in an instant. Creators and influencers are now able to connect with people on an international level, from the privacy of their own handheld devices. That is power, but power must be handled delicately. On the contrary, ‘power’ can be detrimental to the host if it consumes the soul and becomes too domineering to the balance. I promise, no power is worth sacrificing your peace.
For those reasons, it is important to remember to maintain the balance of on- and off-grid activities. I’m not here to police people on posting behaviors and motives. I have no desire to do so. Do what you do; if you like it, I love it. I am simply expressing the belief that our post game might be healthier when including a preface reflection to say…"why am I actually posting this?” Or possibly, “what do I want to achieve with this post?” For some, it could be that we just post because that’s how we feel and we want to express that…but I would be hard-pressed to believe that those of you reading these words are that simple of mind. I know you think deeper, which could also be why you read anything I write. Anyway, there’s nothing inherently wrong with the idea of posting for the sake of getting our word in, but what happens when we don’t garner the response we expected? What happens when nobody likes the tweet we took forever to craft or we only get a few likes on an Instagram post we spent hours editing and perfecting? Obviously a lack of likes on those platforms would be a self-answering reality that nothing happened…but the original question was based from a psychological (or, more fittingly a mental health) perspective. What happens?
For a lot of people, social media has become one of the greatest negative factors affecting their mental health and balance. Think about it. We mull over likes and retweets like they are life and death. We spend uncountable moments wondering when to post, filters to use, words to include, places to go for pictures, who to tag, allat. And for what? Sometimes our content is hot and it resonates well, but if all we are doing is posting and focusing on the next post, what part of that process allows us to be present and live in the moment? Rhetorical question of course…but an important one, nonetheless. Just remember that not every life movement/advancement warrants a post, picture, tweet, or announcement. If the experience is as incredible as we believe it to be, the memory will live vividly in our heart and soul forever…which is a far more permanent location to store life’s most precious moments than some social media application.
Simply put: beware of oversharing. Personally, I am over sharing. I clearly share information with my people, but only when I feel that it is necessary and will add to the overall wealth (shoutout Marcus Butler) of existence. That is what works for me and my personal balance, and I would invite you to find what works for you and yours. We must remember that everything that we put our energy into would (seemingly) be best served it it had an amicable purpose; we must remember the why. We as people have lost sight of the ‘why’ and we have become so focused on garnering attention to self that we have forgotten what is most important to our souls. All of the attention may seem attractive, but beware of the crowd. The crowd is fleeting and can be a lonely place to occupy if we lack authentic connection to people in those spaces. Life is confusing enough as is but quite honestly, it is far easier to decipher when there is less noise. More directly, life makes more sense when we slow down and spend more moments consumed by simply being as opposed to being seen by the world. So…
Take less pictures and just enjoy the view with your own eyes.
Post less tweets/statuses and spend more time documenting your thoughts (journaling).
Share less memes and invest in the humor of authentic human interaction.
Simply…
…relax and be you.
We are sometimes better off when we put our phone down (or, on do not disturb) and enjoy the space that we are in. Social media has created a hyper-connected norm and for some of us, we believe that we need to constantly be connected. This could be rooted in the fear of missing out (fomo), but part of it could also be this undying desire to be seen/heard because social media has inadvertently taken the humanism out of interaction. Push back. Regain your center. We must be better at being present because there is much more to life than watching others live it. We spend too much of our time putting on the front of a life via Instagram that we lose sight of the beauty that is our actual lives.
It is time to disconnect for the sake of reconnection. It doesn’t necessarily matter if we are visiting with family or at the Golden Gate Bridge, we must remember that there is value in the memory existing without the announcement to the world. We can just be where we are and let that be what it is. Not everyone needs to know what we are doing at all times and quite honestly, life is much more simple that way. Bonds with the people we are surrounded by become stronger when we are present and provide undivided attention to the shared space we have created. There is love there, along with joy and serenity. Life is just beautiful when we live it. That’s as real as it gets.
Close this article. Lock your phone. Take a walk. Recenter.
Siempre,
Savant 🌹
thank you for spending a few moments with me. i do value your time and thoughts, so please do not hesitate to send me a message @savantlamont and let me know what you think. i would love to hear from you!