The Pressure of Posting

Social media can be such a wonderful thing. It can be a great resource to connect and reconnect with friends, provide inspiration, allow you to express yourself, and so much more. It can also be a place of unhealthy comparison, pressure to buy things you don't need, and pressure to post the best photos and captions. Not only can there be pressure to post the prettiest, most nicely edited photos with the perfect captions, but there can be pressure to post at the "right time," pressure to post the "right things," pressure to post...period.

Since starting my blog and associated social media accounts, I have felt many of these pressures. I started my blog, Facebook, and Instagram accounts for a fun, creative outlet. I felt like I had knowledge to share about motherhood, pregnancy, labor and delivery, life with a baby (now a toddler), meal ideas, recipes, and so much more. I also thought that my blog, Instagram, and Facebook accounts could be places to record memories and share parts of our life in Vermont.

However, recently, I have felt too much pressure to post what I think people want to see and what I think would gain me the most likes rather than the things I might actually really want to post. I have also felt so much pressure to post the "right pictures" with the "right captions." So many people on Instagram write these beautiful, well thought-out, vulnerable captions always ending with the "right hashtags." With all of this pressure to post all of these "right things", there have been many days where I haven't posted anything at all because I feel like it won't measure up or get enough likes.

I also have felt pressure to post a photo everyday and provide plenty of "content" in my Instagram stories. And not only post every day, but post at the "right time" every day. The time that will possibly be seen by the most people and get the most engagement.

It sounds so silly typing this all out that I have put so much pressure on myself when this was all supposed to be fun. I didn't create this blog or these accounts to make money or become an influencer. I created these spaces as a creative outlet, to express myself, to provide helpful tips and share memories, stories, and experiences that may help others or make them feel like they're not alone.

Additionally, I never want my blog, Instagram, or Facebook to ever take away time from my son, husband, or quality of life. I try to only go on social media when Jack is napping or in bed for the night. I don't want him to always see me with my phone in my face, not giving him the attention he deserves. And the same goes for my husband. Our time is precious to me. I never feel like I can get enough time with either my son or my husband, and I never want the phone in my hand to steal any more of that precious time away from us. I have seen far too many "influencers" in their stories lately just brushing their children off when they're trying to get their attention, and it makes me so sad. Social media will never be important enough to ignore my child or any of my loved ones.

So, why am I saying all of this now? Well, many years ago, possibly before Jon and I were even dating, I saw this beautiful series of photos on Pinterest of a baby and his stuffed animals. I always hoped that one day, when I had a baby of my own, to take similar pictures. So, over a month ago now, I grabbed a blanket and some of Jack's stuffed animals, we dressed Jack in one of his cutest outfits, and headed out to the back meadow to try to take these photos...and they turned out better than I could have ever imagined.

So how did this little photo shoot cause me to have all of these thoughts about the pressures of social media? Well, we were quite busy that evening and I did not end up having time to edit and post the photos. Day after day went by, and I still hadn't found the "right time" to post them. So now here we, almost two months later. I have edited these photos and they are some of my favorite pictures ever, and I still haven't posted them. And now, I've added the additional pressure of, "well now it's fall and these are summer photos." (Insert face palm here).

Why do I do this to myself? Put all of this self-made, comparison driven, popularity propelled pressure on myself? And because of all of this pressure, I have just pulled away. I haven't been posting as many photos, I haven't shown my face on stories, and I haven't written any blog posts, all because I'm afraid it won't be "right."

Well, enough is enough. I want this to be a fun, creative space again. I want to go back to my initial desire to share helpful information, recipes, memories, experiences, and little glimpses into our life.

Here is the series of photos that inspired me to take these pictures all of those years ago, originally taken by Keri Kay Photography:

And without further adieu, here are some of my favorite photos I have ever taken of my son.

I hope this post inspires you to post whatever you want, whenever you want, and to remove the pressure that so many of us feel when it comes to social media. Happy posting!