07/07/2020
Hi everyone, I hope you have all been managing during this bizarre lockdown time!
Just wanted to post about something that's been on my mind that I decided to act on - and I do apologise as it might be a little bit of a long read, so I hope you have your reading glasses on!
[tl;dr at the bottom]
I've decided that I won't be making any more "going live" posts, or being very active on social media in general any more for at least the next 10 months.
The reason for this is partly because I have found social media to be increasingly toxic and negative over the past few years (with a major increase during lockdown) and it's definitely having an impact on my mental health.
And though there are some AMAZING groups out there, I still feel a lot of anxiety and anger radiating from the little blue f on my phone - and I would rather do without that, thanks.
(I deleted all social media apps from my phone just the other day, and wow do I feel a ton better already!)
I also realised that taking the time to market my stream daily, as well as plan new streams and games to play - whereas fun - was using up time I needed to actually be spending on my PhD. I'm in the final few months of it and it has to become my main priority. Unfortunately, streaming and social media were quickly becoming a major distraction, and I realised I needed to pull back before it takes over.
I would rather not stress about growth and just make the content I like to and engage with whomever shows up. In fact, the current community building on my channel has been wonderful and I'm happy (and lucky) to have them. One day I'll put some serious effort into growing and expanding, but for now I need to focus on what's in front of me.
I may occasionally post or contribute to a discussion here, but for the post part, I'm just pulling back from social media.
I'll probably use my Twitter as my primary communication outlet, but I won't really be engaging on much there either.
So, if I do take forever to reply to your post/Tweet or on Messenger, this is why. If you want to contact me more urgently, you can email or whatsapp me instead.
As for streaming, I'll still be sticking to my twice a week schedule, and will be happy to have any of you visit.
So, stay awesome, stay safe, and I'll see you all around
tl;dr: I'm taking a very long (possibly permanent) break from social media. I realised it's affecting my mental health and also that my stream has been taking up too much of my time lately when I have more important priorities. I'll still occasionally pop in though, but wish you all the best. Peace!
