How to wash the guilt off and other virtual hacks
A quick guide on how to let go of control and start enjoying your free time.
Hello š Iām Candela Niesl and this is #4 of ā100 Words Voyageā; a newsletter about writing, life, challenges and how to plan your next piece of art.Ā
Every weekend, I aim to share with you a piece of myself and invite you to write your 100 words. Are you ready to go on this journey? Letās do it!
My top 3 (not so) unexpected episodes of the week:
Iāve realized that taking a break from social media is alright. (Coming back soon, do not fear).
I began a creativewritingfiction experience with an amazing group of people and shared my first short story (still unfinished).
I met amazing women and laugh my lungs out during our meeting that took place on a Friday night. We are planning something spectacular, stay tuned. *insert kinky emoji face*.
What about your (not so) unexpected episodes these past few weeks? Care to share or talk about it? Just reply to this post or write to me. Iāll be (trying to be patient) waiting š¦
Full Moon in Virgo. Thatās what this picture is about. Virgoās and Piscesā axis symbolizes physical and emotional health; Virgo is the sign of hygiene and habits, Pisces resonates with the collective and the invisible.
Do these sentences feel close to home? To your feelings and behaviours these past few weeks? Astrology believers or not, we canāt deny one thing: the Moon vibes with us. Spiritual, isn't it? And sometimes 100% necessary, since nature is our natural habit.
I couldnāt put into words what Iāve been experiencing these weeks until I came across a publication from @moonsoulchild that states:
āOne of the hardest things I had to learn was patience, to stop expecting everyone to have the same mindset as I do. To not hold everyone at higher standard like I hold myself toā.
Blame it (or not) on this Full Moon, could be some body and mind response to it, could be some adulthood striking on my young mindset, whatever it is, I feel it as something worth it to carry on with.
š Cheers from Mar del Plata on the last day of the summer season.
I will confess and come to terms with my behaviour: Iāve left social media aside for these past few days. Yeah, I was connected to some people, still talking about random stuff in life, post a picture one day or so; but committed to it as Iāve always been? No. Iāve left myself feel the detachment and its consequences.
IT. FELT. GREAT.
Yes, I felt/feel guilty from time to time. Yes, I didnāt know how this behaviour of mine will impact my virtual reputation. And yes, I lost followers, not many, but stillā¦ No, I do not regret it. It was about time for me to take a break (have you taken a break from the digital world since all of this started? If not, take this as a sign to do so).
Itās a project of mine to build a personal brand. To do so I have to ask myself: personal brand about what? Iām a journalist with many assets (I wonāt play it fake humble here), but what do I want to get to know for?
So I wrote down my goals, my likes and dislikes, what I am good for and what I am not good for. I wrote about the dreams that I wanted to turn into something significant, the methods I was expecting to put into practice, the jobs I am able to do as a freelancer and the jobs I want to do as a freelancer (huge difference there). And the list went on and on.
(Iāll let this secret drop and share its formula: when doing so, be honest with yourself on a 100% basis, if not, where are you trying to go? Donāt lie to your pages).
So I began to work on it. As you may already know, Iāve launched a podcast, began writing this newsletter, scheduled my posts on social media, took some (a lot of) selfies to emphasize āHey! This is meā, took a lot of workshops to learn and sharpen some skills, etc., etc., etc.
But in my anxiousness on ābuilding something great and originalā, on āsharing my voice and points of viewā with the world, I forgot about myself and my rest. The hours of the day and night ran as fast as the vampires we all know and (yes) adore. The work I was expecting to savour as my favourite dish, was making me 50 % tipsy and 50% clumsy. I felt like my responsibilities were not there to fill me, but to prove myself to other people, people that I donāt even know. And the weight of being there all the time to fulfil Odin knows what made me feel like I was not living to my own expectations but to the expectations of someone else. A virtual demanding persona I was making in my mind, but that I had to satisfy anyways.
Crazy, isnāt it?
At this point you may be taking one of two paths:
This girl hates what sheās doing and doesnāt realize it.
Shit! I feel the same way and I love what I do too.
No, I do not hate what I do. (In fact, if you feel that from this experience itās because you havenāt spent that much time on social media). To be honest, for the first time in a long time, I believe that Iām getting there, getting closer to build my personal brand and be proud of it. Putting into practice a project and actually sustain it and keep on growing are 2 different things.
We can blame it on the Full Moon or me just being exhausted, both even. But the thing is I needed a break. And so, with shame and heartache, I took it. Yes, I felt guilty at the beginning, but as sunsets and sunrises came, I began to feel calmer and enjoyed the days and nights even more.
I got to watch new movies; had deep conversations with random people (in person and through Zoom, cause I might have left my responsibilities on posts and stories, but the world keeps on spinning); I read that book that had written āpendingā all over the place but I keep on postponing because āI donāt have time for books and pleasure if I want to succeedā; I took a walk by the beach and enjoyed the feeling my fingers experienced when they got buried on the wet sand and the sea came to wash everything off; I even wrote an unfinished short story in a foreign language and shared it with strangers to see if it was worth it (it was).
The list goes on.
And no, Iām not quitting social media. I told you already, I feel like Iām getting somewhere (whatever that is) with everything that Iām doing.
But hereās the trick or the secret or whatever you want to tag it. If your body or mind, mostly both, are asking for a breakā¦ JUST. BLOODY. TAKE. IT.
Yes, you may lose some followers. Yes, the guilt may arouse you at night when you are stalking youknowwho. And yes, you may feel like you are failing your virtual self. But as Phoenixes do, youāll arose from the ashes, refresh, with new ideas, with a new life rate, and with a new world to conquer.
Keep calm, everything is still there. Waiting. You didn't fail, not to you, not to anyone. Your mind and soul needed a break and you are listening and following them.
Yes, it will be worth it.
Hereās why you should write 100 words today:
Writing saves us from ourselves. Sometimes (like it happened to me), your mind is full of many (MANY) things and you do not know how to put them in order. Writing helps to clear the mind. And I promise you, after 100 words, youāll feel better.
Everyone and I mean EVERYONE, has a story to tell. If you do not write it down, how will you share it? And you may answer: video, voice recording, telling it to others while drinking a beer. Aha! You are right. But Iāll make another promise and tell you: that story will be so much better with a script. And how do you make a script? By writing.
You can make up worlds, languages, people, dreams, magic, creatures, animalsā¦ anything your mind comes across with. Why youāll miss that chance?
And if you do not know what to write about, Iāll dare you to open Word, Pages or a journal and name 5 things you are good at, 5 things you want to improve, 5 things you suck at. Afterwards, write down the date and make a promise to yourself. One month later, go back to this list. Is it still the same? (You can write about that as well).
Before this voyage comes to its end:
If you liked this #4 ā100 Words Voyageā but also enjoy the Spanish language, you can follow me onĀ InstagramĀ and also listen to my podcast,Ā āThe Unexpectedā.
If you like what I do and would like to support my work, here you canĀ invite me a drinkĀ in Argentina š¦š· orĀ buy me a beerĀ if you are in any other part of the š.
You can also share this newsletter if you think it would be of interest to any of your friends, family, partners or just casual people you meet out there.
Thanks for sharing this journey with me! I hope it inspires you to write your own stories and share them with the world. After all, is not that what are we made off?
See you next weekend šĀ
Bon voyage!