The Necessary Evil (Social Media)
A title with necessary and evil may be a bit unnerving at best. With a laugh in my heart I say social media is a bit unnerving in several ways. Unfortunately, from a business standpoint it’s necessary in today’s environment.
I have pretty much stopped using my personal page. Why? From a mental health care standpoint social media exacerbates the problems we already face. Social Media is used for a place to rant about the stuff that makes you feel bad about yourself, so you can attempt to make someone else feel worse. It makes us nervous when we hear that someone said something about us or our situation that just might be true on some level. So fight or flight kicks in, and the fight begins. I hardly ever notice the flight response, which would be to simply walk away. Interesting fact, in real life situations where your fight or flight response is mobilized, training teaches you to flight first (run or walk away from the situation) because fight is worse case scenario. Why go for blood, when you can simply remove yourself from the situation? (Scroll on past or better yet block)
The healthy way to handle things looks like this…If you make a choice in life, then own it. You do not owe anyone else an explanation for why you make the choices you make. If your goal is ensure that everyone agrees with or has a full understanding of your choices, then your goal will never be met, and your mental health will suffer.
Since I started my social media page for Flourishing Growth Christian Coaching, I have been inundated with ads for things I must do if I intent to be a successful coach. It is simply a distraction and a place where I begin to question myself. The folks pushing the ads, are simply trying to make a buck by making me believe they are offering me great advice for free. Yes, they are offering something useless for free, but the great advice will cost you. What’s really weird is it’s the same advice someone else is offering under a different name. We have to be careful.
So I find myself stuck in “The Necessary Evil” pushing ads in an attempt to spread the word….”I’m a Life Coach”. But what I really want people who see my ads, my page, or my website to know is, I care about people, and I want to help people grow and flourish in life. For years I have managed and coached people who were fighting through life with family issues and job issues. Just looking for someone willing to hear their side of the story and have someone believe in them. Someone who would give them a word of encouragement and point them in the direction of freedom from their own mistakes and bad decisions. We have all been there, some are still in that place. But, we all have dreams and goals that are attainable even though today we are walking through adversity. The truth is, not everyone needs counseling. Most of the time just having someone to talk to, that can see a different perspective or a different way of doing things, can be a big help. It’s not uncommon to get stuck in a rut and need a hand to pull us back out.
Finding a “Coach” fits into the category of self-care and growth. We find it hard to invest in things for our own self care. I was considering a self care option for myself last week and my first thought was, I can not afford that, as I was driving to Hobby Lobby to pick up some new art supplies. I have passed up many things that would have been a help for me because I could not afford it, while I was on my way to spend money on stuff.
Investing in yourself will never be a waste of time or money. It might actually stop you from making “THAT” post on social media.