Taking Back My Power. No More Facebook Brain Drain.

Posted by Barbara Techel

Taking Back My Power. No More Facebook Brain Drain.

You will be with you longer than anyone else on this planet – why not make it a good relationship? ~Louise Hay

In having a heart-to-heart with my inner self of late, I’m being honest in looking at what in my life drains my energy.

I’ve been feeling for quite some time now that Facebook oftentimes takes away from my precious and valuable energy. While I’ve met some wonderful people via this social media avenue and it has been valuable in helping me spread the word about my work, I’m giving thought to how I will best use it going forward.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, here on my blog and in my newsletter, I’ve been pondering writing another book – one that feels the most challenging of the six books I’ve written to date. It will require much focus and it’s a book I feel more and more everyday I want to write.

This means being serious about looking at what feeds my mind which is fuel for my inspiration and energy. This has me facing the fact that when I find myself aimlessly scrolling Facebook it actually is more often than not, a brain drain for me.

In being honest and paying attention to my habits, when I feel stuck in my writing, working on a creative project, or working through the course I’m currently in at Oracle School, I’ve come to realize how easy it is to distract myself instead of sitting through something that feels challenging at the moment.

Oftentimes without even knowing it, when I feel stuck in my work or in school, I’ll realize I’m mindlessly scrolling through Facebook. I don’t even remember clicking over to Facebook! This can then take me down a bunch of different avenues. I have many interests, which is a lovely thing in ways to have, but also can leave me feeling drained when I lose focus (Hey look! A chicken!).  🙂

I don’t like how this feels anymore. And why I love the quote by Louise Hay in that I’m the only one who can be accountable to myself. I get to decide how my life will be meaningful and how I wish to feel on a daily basis. I want to spend more of my time feeling energized, not drained.

I’m also giving thought to if I will continue to share links of my blog posts to my Facebook page or not. Though this one feels scarier to me as I think about how I will share my writing and future books I publish. And this quote speaks to me and what I’m working on:

But I’ve been frustrated with how Facebook has changed their algorithms and how it has come down to money for ads and how many likes (or not) you receive which then determines if your posts are seen (or not).

At the beginning of the whole social media advent, it was for me, in that having a social media presence meant I could fulfill a purpose of mine in making a difference and being a positive voice in a world that can too often be filled with negativity.

While I’ve not made a definitive decision whether or not I’ll continue to share my posts via Facebook, it’s made me think about this home I call my digital home – my blog and website, Joyful Paws. I’ve been reading with great interest how blogging is making a return and how other creatives, such as Jon Katz of Bedlam Farm and Tammy Strobel of RowdyKittens.com, are thinking about Facebook and embracing taking back of their time and how they spend it. I agree with Tammy, who is also is a one woman operation as I am, that I only have so much energy to go around.

Thanks to Tammy I’ve also been reading with interest thought-provoking articles from Cal Newport, a Computer Science Professor, and the affects using social media has had on many, myself included. All of this has been confirmation for the many feelings I’ve been experiencing.

My digital home, when I think about when I first began and evolved in my blogging platform, is much the same way I see my home in which I live. It’s at the heart of who I am. A friend recently said to me when visiting me at home, sitting in my living room, how cozy it was, and how she could feel the beautiful energy and love within it. I can’t tell you how that warms my heart!

Home is so important to me – it’s always been one of my values. And so is my home on the internet, my blog. It means so much to me when you stop by and leave a comment. Even if you may not always agree with something I’ve written, it’s about being able to have a constructive and meaningful dialogue. You don’t always get that on Facebook.

For now, until I decide how I will move forward, I will continue to share links to my blog posts on my Facebook page, but won’t be interacting as much there anymore. In large part due to how I wish to conserve my energy because trying to be so many different places can leave me feeling drained…and then frustrated with myself for not having the energy to do what I really want to be doing.

What I’d welcome is when you feel called to share in conversation or simply leave a comment about something I’ve written, that you feel comfortable in doing so on my blog. Consider it your personal invitation to get comfy in my big red chair in my living room and imagine me pouring you a cup of tea or glass of wine. 🙂 

As I’ve been doing with blogs I enjoy, I’ve gone back to subscribing to them (and commenting directly on their blog) or adding them to my Feedly reader. I’ve always enjoyed supporting artists, and this means writers, too!  Two great options to choose from if you wish to do the same with my blog and subscribe if you don’t want to miss when I post. 

In regards to my interaction on Facebook, for now and the foreseeable future, it will be much more limited as I take back my power and focus on what feeds my soul…. in turn, it’s my hope that by my focusing more on what matters to me, it will encourage you do the same, and with your new found energy you will come sit a spell now and then here at my digital home, and engage in conversation when you feel called to.

Last but not least, thank you from the bottom of my heart to those of you who have been with me here on my blog since the beginning. Please know it means so much.

XO,

Barbara

P.S. I’ve reinstalled a helpful app on my computer that you might find useful also if you are feeling called to limit your social media exposure. It’s called Freedom where you can block your social media sites for a period of time. Because after all, we are all a work in progress, and it can be easy to fall back into old patterning. 😉

Additional Reading

Full Circle. Releasing Kylie’s Ashes In Tennessee.

Posted by Barbara Techel
Great Smoky Mountains

I didn’t realize it until afterwards. But there was this heaviness on my chest of what was impending.

A few months ago as we closed in on our vacation plans to visit South Carolina, knowing it would take us through Tennessee, it came to me an idea that felt right in my heart to do.

As many of you know, we said goodbye to our sweet 12-year old yellow English Lab Kylie, the day after Thanksgiving.

As often happens, I think, it seemed so unexpected and fast. And while I grappled with some personal feelings around her passing, I’ve come to a peaceful place within. And with this newest realization of where it felt right to scatter some of her ashes, I experienced another layer of peace.

My husband John and I brought Kylie home from Tennessee over twelve years ago. I still remember what a round ball of fluffy fur, with the deepest soulful eyes, she was. It was a ten hour drive back home to Wisconsin after we picked her up from the breeder. And as we’d come to witness over the years about who she was, a dog who went with the flow and never caused trouble, she slept all the way home.

As our plans came into being regarding our trip, and the idea to scatter part of her ashes in Tennessee presented itself in my mind, my heart surged with a whoosh of love. This quiet, but impactful ceremony would bring Kylie full circle.

As we drove through the mountains, we saw an exit for a national park with the Great Smoky Mountains as the backdrop. Little did we know at the time, but it was the last stop before we crossed the border into North Carolina. But Spirit had guided us to knowing this was the right place.

I must say that when we got out of our van at the lookout point with the mountains so beautifully beaming in the distance, my heart grew heavy when I looked down to see so much litter along the ridge. It was so incredibly sad.

I just couldn’t lay Kylie’s ashes to rest there among the trash. I wondered for a moment if this was the right thing to do. But then John and I walked down a ways to a small wooded area. It’s then that I saw this big rock and I knew it was all going to be okay.

We always said that Kylie was our rock. Because of her easy-going spirit, she was so grounding for us. My heart smiled as I opened the pouch that contained a portion of her ashes we carefully transported all this way, riding up front with us in the van as a way in which we could lovingly protect her until we released her back to the earth.

So I began with scattering some of her ashes around that rock. John then took some and scattered them among the dried leaves. The last of her ashes, I gently tossed into the wind as a way of setting her free.

After scattering her ashes, walking back to the van, did I realize that the heavy weight I’d been feeling on my chest was now gone. Kylie was now home and I could breathe knowing it was the right thing to do.

As soon as it warms up the remainder of her ashes will be scattered around the large maple tree in our front yard where she often hung out to the left of it as the neighborhood watchdog. And the rest I’ll scatter outside my writing cottage because I’d often delight in seeing her sweet yellow self saunter by the windows which always brought a smile to my face.

XO,

Barbara

My Favorite Treasures Found While Visiting Georgia

Posted by Barbara Techel
Hugging a Crape Myrtle tree (a favorite!) over 150 years old outside the historic home Rose Cottage in Madison, GA

It wasn’t part of our plans to visit Georgia while we were on vacation recently. We set out for Gaffney, South Carolina with plans to also visit Charlotte, North Carolina and drive through Virginia.

But the weather wasn’t on our side much of this trip. We ended up chasing after the sun and warmth. This brought us to Georgia after experiencing storms, winds and cold in both North and South Carolina. Though we did have one beautiful day in the low 80s while perusing Columbia, the capital of South Carolina.

The blessing of traveling by van converted to camper is we could roll with it and move on. And that’s exactly what we did! But isn’t this how it goes? You are busy making all these plans of how you think things will turn out and then life throws you a couple of curve balls. But as my blog and mission is about, it’s about learning to roll with those changes and letting go of expectations.

Learning to adapt brought us to the cities of Greensboro and Madison, GA. So quaint and so full of charm. From the historic homes, to the lovely southern architecture of homes, an abundant array of blooming shrubs and flowers, to the antique and unique shops, I was happy we were open to adventure, which brought us here.

While I’m not a big shopper anymore, I do love to support artists and look for artisan marketplaces or shops when visiting a city or state I’ve not been before. And so I share my favorite treasures with you.

Candle holder made out of beeswax with insert of dried, pressed flowers. It glows beautifully! From Genuine Georgia – An Artisans Marketplace in Greensboro, GA.
Leaf shaped night light made out of clay. So pretty in my bathroom! From Genuine Georgia – An Artisans Marketplace in Greensboro, GA.
Clay tea cup with top for steeping found in a shop in Madison, GA (the name of shop escapes me!)

Did I really need any of these treasures? No. But it does my heart good to know I’m supporting artists. I imagine them in their studios lost in their creative world, doing what they love best…just as I love to do with my writing and what makes my world go round, and why I see these items now as dear treasures.

And to think I almost left the tea cup behind as I was trying to talk myself out of it telling myself I have more than enough of them. But as I headed toward the door my hubby said, “Aren’t you going to get that mug?”  Well that was all the enticing I needed! 🙂

Twist my arm and open my wallet. I’m glad I did.

XO,

Barbara