Home > How To Take A Social Media Mental Breather

How To Take A Social Media Mental Breather

Thanks to the Black Lives Matter movement, my social media platforms EXPLODED. With the swell of new followers, came a ton of new opportunities. Brands who didn’t know I was alive before are clamouring to work with me. I AM GRATEFUL. More than anything, I am GRATEFUL that black creators like myself are finally being recognized.

Dominique Baker on Sparks Street walking and texting

BUT – MO’ MONEY…mo’ problems. I found myself particularly glued to my phone…anxious about:

  • how to interact with all of these new people (what do they want from me?);
  • how to live up to brand expectations (what if posts don’t get a lot of likes – will they be let down?);
  • how do I manage all of these platforms?
  • how do I stay on top of what the next social media trends will be? Hello, Reels!

…and so on and so forth.

Dominique and Omar at a Black Lives Matter Protest

My YouTube channel was causing me a particularly huge amount of stress. I was getting a lot of hate for relaxing my hair, and reading the hurtful messages was harming my mental health, so I stopped uploading. Stopped cold turkey.

While watching The Bird’s Papaya’s Instagram stories today, I was so SHOOK. It was like she was experiencing the exact same feelings as me lately – a little overwhelmed, a tad sad about everything and thinking more and more about ways to find a better balance.

This post, by the way, is entirely inspired by Sarah Nicole of The Bird’s Papaya. I will include these tips that she offered up to her followers that resonated with me so much. I should mention that these tips are more geared towards influencers, but can be applied to anyone.

Dominique Baker putting on her shoe at the Riviera Patio

Social Media Breather – Tips To Implement Now

Avoid Statistics

If you are an influencer, try to go a week without obsessing over, or even checking your online stats. That’s right. No follower counts, no views, no insights whatsoever.

Dominique Baker on her iPhone

Budget Your Time Carefully

Take five minutes and plan out how much time you want to spend online this week. I plan on cutting down drastically as I was ashamed to see that last Tuesday, I had logged over nine hours on my phone. How is that even possible?

Track the amount of time you spend too. May be helpful to see what time of day you are spending the most time scrolling. This might be a hint regarding what you are escaping, why you are bored, tired, need to decompress, etc.

Dominique Baker wearing sunglasses on a patio

Trying Posting Whatever You Want This Week

Post whatever the hell you want this week. Mommy blogger? Post a week’s worth of great shots of your cat. Travel blogger? Post some killer style pics. Take the time to post for you – not for your followers, not for brands…just for the simple pleasure of seeing what YOU want to see this week. This right here is why I love my personal IG account SO MUCH.

Dominique Baker on a patio wearing all black

Get Your Thoughts Down – Start Journalling

Write down everything you are feeling…and when you are feeling them. Getting your thoughts out is cathartic. You may even see patterns which can allow you to put some coping mechanisms in place.

Dominique Baker leaning up against the bar at a patio

Put Your Phone Down

Enjoy your phone-free life. Walk the dog, go for coffee, charge your phone in another room and most importantly, put your phone in another room while you sleep.

These tips are already helping me. It’s so great to be able to focus on a show, or book…or have a focused conversation.

Let me know how it goes!

OUTFIT DETAILS

Blazer – Zara (unavailable) |Crop Top – Free People gifted by Finders Keep Hers (unavailable) | Shorts – Zara (unavailable) |Sandals, choker – gifted by Trendsavvy (use code “DomIsTheBomb” for 25% off) | Bag – Balmain on loan from Mine & Yours (unavailable)| Sunglasses – Tom Ford gifted by Holt Renfrew

Dominique Baker
Dominique Baker

Dominique is a Canadian-based fashion and beauty influencer with a strong voice in Ottawa’s black community. Since launching her blog Style Domination in 2015, she has amassed a global fanbase. Dominique shares her life through beautiful imagery and compelling story-telling that speaks to her fans on a personal level. She’s been featured in The Guardian, Flare, The Kit and Cityline. She also hosts events for Dress for Success, the Gem Conference, and has been named a United Way Person 2 Know for the past three years.

Find me on: Web | Instagram

6 Comments

  1. Maya Brown
    September 8, 2020 / 11:43 am

    Hi! I’m not an influencer, but these are still great tips for anyone. Just a couple of days ago I decided to set up timers for my social media usage, and I was surprised at how quickly the time adds up. Thanks for sharing this much needed post.

    By the way, you are beautiful inside and out. And you get to wear your gorgeous hair however you want. Your race/ethnicity/culture does not determine how you should or shouldn’t wear your hair. Your hair – your business.

  2. Cheryl
    September 9, 2020 / 10:33 pm

    Hello Dom. How do you get your eyebrows to look so well groomed? I just love your style, poise and how classy you are. Keep up the great work.

    • Dominique
      Author
      October 20, 2020 / 4:34 pm

      I got them microbladed. Made the world of difference!

  3. September 21, 2020 / 10:12 pm

    This is such an on time post for me. As of late I’ve been obsessing over my engagements and the numbers. Thanks for sharing.

    • Dominique
      Author
      October 20, 2020 / 4:33 pm

      Try not to. I’m guilty of that too.

  4. Cheryl
    October 20, 2020 / 8:01 pm

    Ok. Thanks for your response.

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