When I was on vacation in Cancun, Mexico recently, I took lots of pictures of my friends, my husband, and the beautiful landscape.
Whenever one of us took a great picture, we shared it with the group.
But I didn’t share any of those pictures on social media or with anyone else.
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It wasn’t because I didn’t want anyone to see what I was doing! I just didn’t want the pressure of looking for the perfect shot, deciding what to post, and figuring out what to write as a caption.
I made the decision going into the trip that I was going to have a mindful vacation. And that meant taking a break from social media.
As a media expert, I know how important social media is for sharing expertise, connecting with new people, and staying up to date with old friends.
Even though there’s lots of great things about social media, there’s no denying that it can make life stressful.
Whether it’s checking your email or looking to see who has interacted with your post, spending time on your phone means you’re not being fully present with your loved ones.
But let’s be real — it’s hard not to share pictures, especially when you’re in a beautiful place like Mexico.
During the trip, I always wanted to capture images to look back on, and I did. And my husband and our friends shared photos and laughed and remembered the great moments but we kept it in a self-contained bubble. It really heightened our engagement with each other. And it allowed us to be in the moment.
Having a mindful vacation doesn’t mean you have to stop using social media or email forever. The whole idea is just to take a break so you can be present and pay attention to what really matters.
Like I wrote in my book, Listful Living, it’s so important to take time for self care. If you don’t give yourself permission to fully relax on vacation, it’ll be so much harder to be productive and happy when you’re not on vacation.
As I mentioned in this interview with DoctorOz.com, self care doesn’t have to be a week-long vacation or a manicure. It can be small moments in your day that you take to recharge.
By not sharing pictures from my vacation, I felt like I could focus on spending quality time with my husband and friends.
I have a bunch of pictures from the trip. And maybe I’ll share them at some point — there are some gorgeous ones.
Taking a vacation is a great way to relax and take a break from everything that’s stressing you out. But if you’re constantly worried about taking pictures for social media, it can add a layer of totally unnecessary stress.
I encourage you to make your next trip a mindful vacation. Really take in what’s around you and enjoy it for yourself – not for your next social media post.
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