Do you ever get that crazy overwhelmed feeling of everything being out of balance? I’m there right now. My attention is being spread too thin and I think it’s time to unplug for a short time.
I catch myself telling my kids to find other things to do away from screens. Almost immediately after, I turn my focus back to my iPhone, laptop… This must stop. I want to lead by example.
Since I started blogging almost 2 years ago, my screen addiction has grown exponentially. Not only must we as bloggers attach for hours on end to our laptops while writing, but we also spend an insane amount of time pouring into social media in order to share our words. Finding balance can be almost impossible.
Balance is not something I excel in. It’s always been a struggle in some form or another. If my house is clean, my writing time is nonexistent. When I’m throwing myself into parenting, my marriage is suffering…
So, I’ve decided to unplug for a few weeks.
I’m finding my early mornings with God slowly falling behind checks across social media accounts again. This is sadly and immensely out of order. God and my family need to take far more precedence in my life.
I want to look into my children’s faces and be completely present for a while. Visions of sitting and chatting with my husband without our iPads dance through my head. My husband and I are growing older as are our precious children. My son will officially be a teenager next month and my daughter became a legal adult just a few short months ago.
Time is flying by and I just need to spend a little of it truly savoring my people. I want to take pictures of them without thinking of how to frame it right for Instagram. We will create things together with no intentions of ever making a post out of that time or project.
I know a few weeks doesn’t seem like much for such an important endeavor. I think it will be a beautifully adequate amount of time to regroup and unplug. I’ll miss you terribly and will be ready to return to this space refreshed and revived.
I look forward to seeing you back here towards the end of this month. In the meantime, I would love to hear your tricks for finding balance in the comment section. I’m giving myself until tomorrow afternoon to wrap some things up around here and on my social media accounts.
If you don’t hear from me before then, know I will respond and visit with you as soon as I return. I’ll be checking email once a day so I don’t have to spend an insane amount of time dealing with it when I reemerge online. If you need to chat, you can find me there. See you soon!
Well, I hear you, friend, and you know I admire you for sure. I’ve found taking a break is hard at first and then you love it so much you almost don’t want to come back!
Here’s a bunch of life balance stuff to look through at some point.
https://creeksideministries.blogspot.com/search/label/life%20balance
Enjoy your family. Those kids sure are gorgeous.
But know that I, for one, will miss ya. Alot!
Thank you, Linda! I will miss you too, my friend. I’ll definitely check out those posts. I’m always encouraged by your writing.
Candace, I love the quote which you shared. Balance is a challenge to achieve. I’m not sure we ever truly achieve it to the degree our Lord would desire. But that’s just me. I think that is why He constantly calls us to come away, to rest, to be still. Most times, I achieve some semblance of balance by taking a few days to think about whether or not I need to say another “yes” & add more to my plate. I am finding, it it takes me that long to decide, it truly is a “no” and would not be profitable for my life. May you enjoy this time away. May God speak deeply to you. I look forward to your return. Blessings!
I absolutely agree with you about never achieving that type of balance, Joanne. I love your idea of taking a few days before saying yes to something. I always seem to jump into things too fast. I think I’ll have to follow your lead on that one. Thank you for sharing :). Blessings to you as well!
Good for you, Candace! I know what you mean about time flying by … it seems to be going faster by the day. I hope your time “away” is everything you want and need it to be!
Thank you, Lois! I’m looking forward to it. I’m amazed at how quickly this year has flown by. It seems like my son was starting the school year a week ago and it’s already summer.
3 Cheers Candace! Great job pursuing what matters the most. I get your message. It’s hard to unplug sometimes. I hope and pray you enjoy your time and that you come straight back to the #RaRalinkup upon your return. Much love!!!! Cheering on your truth today from the #RaRalinkup on Purposeful Faith.
I will definitely jump right back in, Kelly! The #RaRaLinkup is such an awesome community. Thank you for your hard work in building it, my friend :).
Good for you! Unplug, find that balance, but promise you will come back 🙂
I will definitely be back, Jen! I don’t know that I’ll ever find balance, but I’m really looking forward to hanging out fully with my family. I’ve found way too much joy and encouragement in our sweet online community to give it up. I just need a little hiatus :).
Social media can get pretty overwhelming sometimes. I hope you have a time of refreshing, rejuvenation, and renewal, Candace! Take as much time as you need to find that balance. I’ll be looking forward to your return whenever you’re ready.
I’m amazed at how much time I spend on social media, Trudy. It gets so overwhelming! Thanks for your support, my friend. I look forward to hanging out again soon :).
Dear Candace – I so respect a woman who follows her convictions and calling by her actions. Enjoy this time with your precious family. XOXO
Thanks, Allie! I’m looking forward to some full-time family focus for a bit. I have a great feeling I will come back renewed :).
Balance is so important and I’ve realized lately that I am totally out of balance. I’m seeking God’s face and Jesus’ presence over the summer to help me make better choices and set better boundaries. Hope you enjoy your time away!!
Boundaries has been a foreign word to me for far too long, Holly. I need to follow your lead on that topic. “Seeking God’s face and Jesus’ presence” sounds like a blissful plan to remedy those issues.
Good for YOU Candace!!! I get it. I SO get it. The last few weeks, I have barely been online… I just needed to LIVE and I was just too burned out and exhausted to pour any more energy into the blog stuff.
I am pacing myself very carefully this summer. Setting some major boundaries around my most important priorities is my goal. It’s SO hard to set those limits!! I will be praying for you to be filled with the nourishment you need my friend!!
Oh that dreaded burn out, Chris. I’m there, my friend! Setting limits is such a struggle for me too. Praying for you as well! May we both find much peace and joy this summer :).
First off, I love your daughter’s hair.
I know exactly what you mean about being plugged in all the time as a blogger. Last week, I didn’t post anything. I just needed some time to be present with myself and my family. I hope you are able to unplug and spend some time with your family this month.
Thank you, Sonya! She’s a hairdresser and always has super fun hair. I’m going to her salon this weekend for a new do :). She’s incredibly talented.
I’m looking forward to unplugging tomorrow. I’m glad you were able to take that time for yourself and your family last week. We have to step away every once in a while. That’s probably the biggest and hardest lesson I’ve learned with blogging.
Sometimes you just have to unplug! I struggle with finding balance, too, and am trying to make Sundays a no blogging day. It doesn’t always work out, but it’s nice when it does. Enjoy your time away from the screen 🙂
Sundays are a great day to unplug, Akaleistar. On my return in a few weeks, I definitely plan to choose a day off or maybe 2 :). You are so right though, it doesn’t always work out as we would hope. That’s one of the main reasons I’m stepping away completely for a little bit. I look forward to seeing you again soon!
I hear you! I took a season to unplug and gained a renewed focus on the Lord and my family. My best advice is to redirect that “need” to be on the screen by spending time with your family, reading and/or journaling. I had a tendency to grab the phone every now and then but I would remind myself to pay more attention to my family (I still do this even now).
Thanks for visiting my blog! Blessed to also be your neighbor for #coffeeforyourheart.
It’s so nice to connect with you, Samantha. I will definitely visit you again when I return from my exile :). I feel like I’m going to have to retrain myself on so many levels. I’ll be automatically grabbing my phone just because it’s such a habit. I can completely relate!
As a mom of three young boys – I’ve been there! Balance is hard, but so well needed! I think when our lives get crazy, we start actually WORKING at play…it becomes a chore! Not needed. That’s why we have kids. They remind us how to play, freely and how to live in the present! Great post!
Wow! Three young boys is impressive, Bethany. I know what you are saying about working at play. It’s a sad state to find yourself in, but I’ve certainly been there far too often. I’m just tying some things up this morning and then off to play with my kids for the day. My son and I are even meeting up with my daughter who lives on her own now :).
Well said. And well done. Enjoy that time, friend!
Thanks, Kristin! It will be a much needed break, but friends like you will certainly be missed :). See you soon!
Good for you, Candace! May the Lord bless your time off-line! I find it so hard to establish balance myself. Thanks for sharing your heart here.
It was certainly blessed, Betsy! I’m thankful to finally be back, but I must admit it’s hard to plug back in :).
I took a period of time recently to unplug. we were house sitting for some friends and their house with a porch swing was perfect for enjoying the country side, clearing my mind, listening to God as the frogs sang me a song. It’s always been worth it those break.
That is heavenly, Betty. I love a porch swing in the country. I just got back from a weekend at my mother-in-law’s house and enjoyed that very same scene. It was truly a beautiful and much needed break.
I hear you friend and I’ve had to do this many times in my life. I will on purpose put my phone in my purse so I don’t hear it or see it. If its there, I will look at it. Same with my Kindle. It stays by my bed and I use it to read at night. I have cut off all computer work at 1pm. Get up out of this chair that is making my rear spread and do something physical.
Have a wonderful time with your kids and can’t wait to read your next post. I know you not regret your time off. Now that its just a few minute to 1pm, I must sign off.
I love the idea of signing off at 1pm, Tammy! That is a wonderful rule and schedule. My time away was wonderful, but I’m certainly glad to see you again. I really missed the faces of all of my online friends even if they are only in the form of tiny pictures :).
Hi Candace! Great quote from Suze Orman. Kind of says it all, doesn’t it? We haven’t been connected for very long, but I have enjoyed reading your posts, and will miss you for sure.
That said, what’s more important in our lives? Seems like you have a great handle on what you need to pay attention to (love the photo of the kids!) and that your spiritual life is suffering. I think you are going to love your time away, and get the change to take some deep breaths. Enjoy, come to peace, smile more…
We’ll be here when you return,
Ceil
Hi Ceil! It was a wonderful break. I love that Suze Orman quote too. It really does say so much. It’s great to see you again! I hope you have had a beautiful month.
Praying this is a time of refreshing and renewal for you!
It absolutely was, Barbie! I think this may become a bi-yearly habit :). I’m definitely feeling some much needed refreshment.
Great!
See you when you plug in again. But enjoy your time offline.
Hi Lux! I greatly enjoyed my time away. It’s certainly nice to reconnect and plug back in though :). I’m slowly making my way back into the online world.
Your post hit home with me! I never realized how much time we do spend, until my husband pointed it out to me. It’s good to hear it from a fellow blogger too. Enjoy your time away with family, savor those precious moments!
There were so many precious moments, Jane! I’ve really had to force myself back online, but us bloggers certainly must find balance in both worlds :). It’s a constant struggle but one that is definitely worth it!
It makes me feel much better knowing there’s someone out there feeling the same as I sometimes feel. You ask for tricks to manage it, but I’ve only found your solution: unplug.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Candace.
Hugs,
Pili
The time I spent unplugged this summer was well worth it, Pili! Every precious moment with my family away from technology is never wasted. I think we all need to unplug every once in a while :). Hugs to you!