Southern Belle in Training

Fashion, Travel & Lifestyle Blog || Est. 2012 || Virginia Beach, VA

November 11, 2019

Why I Don't Use Instagram on Sundays.

     Confession time: I've been taking a weekly break from Instagram for the last year and a half or so, and it's been one of the best decisions I've ever made! 










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     As a blogger, Instagram is something that I have to use for business purposes, and I also use it recreationally/personally as well. Like many 20-somethings, I'm sure I spend more time on there than I would care to admit, and often get sucked into the wormhole of scrolling the feed and watching Stories. I have two accounts: one personal and one for the blog, although I spend probably 90% of my time on Instagram on my @miss_alk account for Southern Belle in Training. 

     Instagram isn't something that's inherently bad. In fact- a lot of good can come from it and has come from it! I've met some of my most treasured friends in multiple states from Instagram. But like any social media, it is something that can become an addiction or be abused, and I think those of us that use it for blogging/business purposes so often might even be more susceptible to that. It's so easy to make Instagram entirely self-focused, and fall into the comparison game with likes and engagement. 

     That's why for the past year and a half of so, I've made the decision not to use my blogging Instagram account on Sundays, as my way of honoring the Sabbath! At first I tried not to use any social media on Sundays, but that felt a little too hard and forced, and I didn't think certain things like Facebook were really taking up that much of my time on Sundays. So it's evolved into just Instagram. I try not to use my blog account after 6pm on Saturday evenings- I leave it signed into my private personal account so if I do click Instagram on my phone accidentally I won't be sucked into looking at the stuff I follow on my blog account. I let myself check my blog Instagram again on Sundays at 6pm, so I try to do a full 24 hours away! Of course there have been weekends that I make exceptions and quickly pop on my IG Stories on Sundays (such as the rare times I have a weekend blog post up that I want to promote), but for the most part I really hold to these 24 hour breaks. 

     Having a true Sabbath rest period is something that's very biblical but yet not followed a lot in modern culture. This is my attempt at doing that! It's a way to set apart my Sundays from other days of the week- make them a little less me focused and a little more intentional. It's also a great reminder to me to not let my blogging presence on Instagram get to my head. My account is just a grain of sand in the scheme of all of Instagram! If I don't share something in real time with my followers, it's okay. At first I thought that I would only stay off of IG on Sundays for weekends when I'm home, and not follow the rule when I'm traveling, but now I'm so used to it that it feels weird no matter where I am to be on Instagram on Sundays in the daytime! 

     Anyways- the point of this post isn't me saying you also have to take a 24 hour break from it each week or anything. Just wanted to finally share about this positive life change I've made and hope it might encourage some of you as well. 😊

   
    A quick note on my outfit- I'm obsessed with it! This skirt was a $20 Dillard's Clearance Center find a couple months ago while passing through North Carolina (we sadly don't have any Dillard's Clearance Centers in Virginia), but this skirt is really similar. My OTK boots are under $50 and I'm pretty impressed with them so far! I feel like they look like the styles from designer shoe brands that are much pricier. I did go half a size smaller when ordering which fits well. I have a feeling I'll be wearing this fall outfit again before the end of of the season!


     Thanks so much for reading today! Fellow bloggers especially- I'd love to hear your thoughts on setting boundaries with Instagram.





    God Bless,


     xoxo Annaliese 







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7 comments

  1. Such a great look! Love the skirt and the sweater looks great with it. I never know what to pair skirts with so sadly I've given up wearing them for the most part.
    Great idea to take a break from Instagram on Sundays. I don't usually get into instagram videos (honesty they can annoy me) and I like blogging much more than any other social media. But it's so easy to get stuck on instagram looking at the feed.
    Ellibelle's Corner

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  2. What a beautiful outfit and this is such a great idea! I have started to take breaks on the weekends and it has helped me a lot. I really need to start honoring the Sabbath more.

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  3. Love this outfit and honestly, whether you're religious or not, taking a day off social media is good for the soul! Great post!
    xo Stylelista

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  4. What a great idea, Annaliese! I definitely need to get in that habit as I spend too much time on Instagram! Love your outfit too!

    xoxo,
    Katie
    chicincarolina.blogspot.com 

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  5. I love your outfit! That's a great idea to give yourself a weekly break from social media. It can be so toxic seeing everyone's highlight reel.

    xo, Makaela

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