Social Media
Free! Because you pay with your time.
Dear Swee-tea,
I hope this finds you without shingles, unlike me!! Oh yeah, it’s been a month. If, like me, you appreciate the softer things in life, whether it’s because you have sensitive skin or just like a cozy feel, please allow me to recommend one of my favourite brands: BAM! A brand that specialises in bamboo clothing, good for the planet, great for you!
As many of you know, I take a month off social media every year, and February has been that month for me. I think an internet/social media detox is always a good idea, even if it’s only for a week! The way we consume information is often quite damaging to our brains, and inevitably whatever we take in is warped- for instance algorithms promote rage and despair far more than anything else which can be quite depressing for our li’l ole brains!! Many videos and posts do not cite sources, and fact-checking is easily forgotten. We are not designed to take on the world’s problems, and if you’re anything like me it is hard to compartmentalise and to avoid being self critical, especially when it comes to acknowledging how little power we have to help horrendous circumstances. This Kurtzgesart video sums up why the internet can be such a distressing place, and I hope you’ll take the time to let me know what you think of it!
I also really recommend The Carl Saga by Hank Green if you’d enjoy a (maybe-not-so!) fictional take on the future of social media.
In re-evaluating how I use social media, I have decided I don’t want to go back. At least, not in the same way. At the moment I think I will have a day or two each month where I use social media. I want to be more intentional with my time, but I have realised the all or nothing mindset isn’t necessarily a solution.
I can enjoy the good parts- connecting with new people, seeing what friends are up to, and posting helpful resources, without having to use the apps every day and wasting hours of my life. I want to feel like I have visited a friend, not like I am living in a hell-scape.
My latest poem is from the Winter Blues themed Poetry Orchard Workshop and is inspired by my niece, and the pressure I feel to help others even when I am struggling so much myself.
Sometimes it’s a balm To imagine I’m living this way for a reason That I’m learning lessons that will save you some heartache Or that I’m a fairy Hopping between moss festooned rocks That I feel so heavy because I am so light A tiny insignificant thing on this wide wild world And this weight on my back is really a pair of iridescent wings This water running down my face is from some enchanted waterfall- not my own eyes Is it my ego getting the best of me, this inescapable, inexplicable tenacity? This certainty that I am hardwired to inspire or else I may as well lay down Amongst the moss and Breathe Be Remember I have a friend, or two, maybe even three And that they truly do Like me for me?
There’s a creative seed inside all of us, and we can help you nurture and grow it! Join Poetry Orchard for a vibrant community and workshops, events, and services to help your writing bloom.
As always, please share TeawithHB.com with a friend or have a look at the website yourself to learn more about life with chronic illness! This community and platform exists thanks to your one-off donations and monthly memberships so thank you again for all your support!
Love,
HB x
February Favourites
☀️ Good News: I have masses of support from friends and family that means the future is looking bright!
📚 Book: I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron and Little Women
📺 TV: Make it or Break it
🍿 Movie: When Harry Met Sally
🍜 Recipe: Pick Up Lime’s Chow Mein
🖋️ Journal Prompt: Spring is coming, what does that mean for you?
🎶 Music: Habits by Genevieve Stokes