It’s okay to leave Instagram.

I stopped engaging on social media about two years ago. At first this was a temporary hiatus, but my life has been so much better without it, I see no reason to return.
On the day of my book release, I put the IG app back on my phone for two hours, just to refresh my bio and let people know where to get it. This is what happened:
My compulsion to scroll and see all the infinite things came back instantly. I wasted an hour of my precious and limited lifetime, feeling bad about this fact while I actively continued to waste it. I felt tinny and flat afterwards. Having my attention siphoned so directly made me feel as alive as a crushed cardboard box.
One benefit of taking so much time away from IG is that the effect it has on my mental health is now unmistakeable. I deleted the app from my phone before I could even read through all of my DMs.
Here’s a permission slip for you: if you don't like how IG makes you feel, you can just delete the app. You don’t have to make a big announcement about your absence. Just press the little square until it jiggles on your screen and then press “X” and watch your life come back to you.
Books, newsletters, and podcasts are still marvellous ways to learn, understand, and stay informed, and you get to choose when and if you consume them.
Want to try?
Here are three things that will replace the time you would have spent on social media, and make you feel smarter, healthier, cuter, and more optimistic:
- Read The Age of Magical Overthinking by Amanda Montell! It’s both joyously readable and intellectually rich—my favourite combination of smart insight and pure fun. I adored Montell’s first book, Cultish, and this one might be even better. Each chapter offers a deep, well-researched exploration of our cognitive biases, examining how language and psychology shape the stories we live by. A perfect read for anyone fascinated by the power of words and consciousness.
- Go for a walk! Wander around somewhere you haven’t gone before, and enjoy the panoramic sensation of newness. Or, take a familiar route, and find five new things you’ve never seen before. Make it part of your creative process (I love Amy T. Won’s Wonder Walk deck for this).
- Turn a friend into a penpal! Handwriting is quality time. Write a letter on nice paper, using a fountain pen and an ink you love. (Look at this gorgeous Rose Gold and Smoke TWSBI!) Put some stickers on your letter. Seal it with washi tape. Take a walk to a mailbox and enjoy the luxury of slow communication.
- Subscribe to Fix the News! I’ve written about this team of journalists before: their reporting keeps me sane and engaged. They diligently explore intelligent headlines on progress from around the world, and give a much-needed perspective. The truth is, we are living in one of the greatest times of positive change in history.
A book review I’m celebrating:
🌙 “The night I started reading Story is a State of Mind, I had a dream that led to a poem.” I so appreciated this honest review of my book, because the writer actually tried the practices! Reading this was a wish come true for me: I literally wanted readers to have creative inspiration come to them in their dreams. Success!
One of my favourite things:
Coaching Writers One-On-One!
In all the years I’ve been writing and working with writers, Neuro-Linguistic coaching techniques have had the most effective results, by far. I think it works especially well for writers because we understand the power of language, and we know how to work with our creative unconscious.
When we feel resistance, using willpower to force ourselves to write is exhausting and unsustainable. But we can align our conscious and unconscious desires so they are clear and in sync, and working together. When you’re getting in your own way but you don’t know how to get out of your own way, my Story Is a State of Mind Breakthrough can help. The results are magnificent.
If time management or creative resistance are significant hurdles in your writing life, or if you have an unreasonable amount of negative emotions or beliefs come up around writing, consider working with me 1:1 for a full breakthrough using NLP techniques!
This is a deep and delightful coaching program that will clear old emotions and interrupt old thought patterns, so you can write with lighter energy and clear intention. Because that’s what you’re here to do—you have writing to do!
“I’m still surprised at how much lighter and more joyful I feel about writing. And when you think about it, her process is scientific. Sarah helped me change my brain. She helped me sweep out all the old cobwebs and plant better, newer thoughts—images that make me feel excited about the upcoming writing. As my writing life has taken on more profound joy, my life has generally opened up. It has been a truly remarkable journey.”
—Dolly Reisman
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