One of my biggest gripes is when friends and family assume that following me on Instagram or Facebook is 'keeping in touch'. It so isn't and it annoys the crap out of me. Until I realised, I do exactly the same thing. 

I'll be honest: social media makes me a lazy friend/sibling/daughter. I don't call home as much. I send HB! comments instead of calling my friends on their birthday. I don't really to the extra mile to 'stay connected' - Facebook just makes it so easy, right?

Only three years ago - before I owned a smart phone - life felt different. When I was travelling with my mates, lounging with loved ones or simply eating my lunch, the thoughts 'ooohh let's take a pic to share on Insty', or 'ahhhh we're all together, I'll check us in!', or 'I wonder how many likes that photo has now...' weren't even apart of my mental playlist. My old 'brick phone' couldn't even take photos, let alone come equipped with Apps that keep me connected, wired and (let's be honest) addicted.

And we're all feeling this aren't we? We're finding ourselves scrolling mindlessly through News Feed madness, heads down in the direction of our iPhones, glued to images of newborns, weddings and renovations that belong to people you probably wouldn't say 'hello' to at the supermarket.

My boyfriend hates it. Out for dinner with friends on Saturday night, he nudged me in annoyance when he realised every single one of us at the table was burrowed in our phones. At a wedding party yesterday, I stood there Instagramming a photo of the two of us with the caption 'I LOVE YOU', instead of looking at him in the eye and just telling him. (OK, of course I tell him this all the time - and I am all for celebrating and sharing love - but it felt a bit grimy in the moment).

My friend Emily shared this video recently that captures the disconnection that thrives in that space of social media addiction perfectly. I actually feel that it's adding to a low level stress/anxiety that I find creeps up from time to time... Clenched jaw, anxious flutters in my chest, picking at my scalp; all standard physical reactions I notice after over-using social media.

So I'm taking a break. Massively inspired by my friend Tara's recent (and brave) decision to completely close her Facebook account (personal and business pages), I'm simply going to 'log off' all platforms for the rest of October - at least. I have a girl's weekend away next weekend, a trip to Melbourne for my best mate's birthday at the end of the month and friends visiting us at the moment, and I plan to be fully present. Nope, not even an Insty brekky post! #forreals ;-)

This is an experiment, fuelled by a desire to simplify, focus on what is truly essential and somewhat ironically, reconnect.

HELL YES social media is awesome! The Facebook group I've created for my coaching clients is SERIOUSLY THE BEST (a bunch of inspiring, earth-shakingly-beautiful women supporting one another? Yes please!) and I could go on forever about the benefits it has brought my business, this blog, the friendships it has brought into my life - but boundaries and moderation are KEY - so it's time to jump out of the pond for a moment, so I can gain some perspective on what role I want these platforms to play in my life.

I'll still be blogging (and I've got some fun posts coming up), so the best way to stay in the loop is to jump on my newsletter list below, write me a comment below if this resonates with you or even send me an email. You know, the 'old fashioned way' - ha!

I'd love for you to share this post - either on social media or yelling to your neighbour across the fence! 

To more clarity, BOOKS, presence, beach, phone calls and deep breaths.

Claire x