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This year, a lot of people decided to leave or just straight-up ghost Instagram. And honestly, I get it. The reach isn’t even close to what it was a few years ago. And yeah, I know this is kind of expected—as more people create accounts, competition goes up, and getting noticed gets harder.
But it’s still demoralizing, right?
And to be honest – I don’t believe that things will get better. This downhill trend has been happening for YEARS, and it’s probably going to continue. Sure, some accounts will still knock it out of the park and do great, but that won’t happen to everyone. And when you’re constantly feeling demoralized with social media, you’re not gonna want to post.
That’s why I decided to re-think how I see and approach social media as a business owner, especially since my business is fully online. I wanted to stay sane, avoid feeling demoralized, keep showing up, and actually have fun doing it. So here are the things I started implementing this year that I’m taking into 2025:
1. I decided to have more fun in my content and be a bit goofy
Yeah, my account is a business account but that doesn’t mean I need to take myself so seriously that my own account bores me. Truth is, I started an online business to break free from those corporate rules about always being super serious.
I’ve started posting more memes and sharing some of my non-business thoughts that have surprisingly resonated with people.
2. “It’s not that serious” has started to be my favorite mantra
Creating content used to PARALYZE me, like what to write, and which hooks to use. But now? I know it’s not that serious. Whether my content performs well or not, it’s just data helping me understand my audience better and what they resonate with. If something flops, it just means I should talk about that thing less or reframe it. It’s not the end of the world.
3. I look at my analytics less
In the past, whenever I posted something I’d look at how many people liked it. I looked at my analytics a lot and my mood was definitely influenced by whether a post performed well or not. And I know that can’t be healthy.
This explains why we’re all obsessively checking our phones after posting, right? Cause of that little hit of dopamine when the likes come in… and that sinking feeling when they don’t.
Personally, I wanted to do something about this, so now when I post, I try not to look at my likes on the same day or the day after. If I notice the likes, it’s because I’m getting tons of notifications. I only check analytics to understand what my audience wants to hear from me and what they don’t resonate with.
Being transparent here – I don’t always get this right. There are days when I succumb, but I’ve made a lot of progress. To break that dopamine cycle, we have to intentionally change how we interact with social media.
4. I take more breaks for my mental health
I used to avoid taking breaks because I was terrified of missing potential clients – like what if someone DMs me during my offline week? But that’s just fear talking. I’m not willing to burn myself out for a ‘just in case’ scenario anymore. The clients that are meant for me will find me. Taking a break won’t change that.
Back then, I’d push through and post even when I was super burned out from being online. Now? I take weekly breaks when I start feeling overwhelmed. And when I come back, I’m refreshed and ready to take on the online world again.
Look, if people in 9-5s need breaks and vacations, so do we. Just because our businesses are online doesn’t mean they don’t get exhausting, even if you love what you do.
5. I’ve had more fun in my DMs and used them to connect instead of pitch
I used to think DMs were just for selling. Like if you slide into someone’s DMs, you’re wasting their time unless you’re buying something from them.
But now I see that DMs are a great place to connect with other business owners, with no strings attached. Sometimes these connections lead to something (like a collaboration), sometimes they don’t.
But here’s the thing – if you’re the only business owner you know, creating connections online can make you feel less lonely. It gives you people you can talk to, vent to, and just connect with, with no strings attached.
All of these things have kept me sane
And honestly, made me happier online. I don’t know how social media will evolve, especially with AI coming in and changing so many things.
But I know that while I’m online, I want to have fun and enjoy myself. That’s where my focus is.
Sure, social media as a business owner, is a place to sell and build an audience, but it’s also a place to connect with amazing people you might never meet since they live in different continents. It’s a place to express yourself – something most corporate jobs would never be okay with.
And what it is to you, is up to you.
P.S. What tips would you add? What changes have you made to make social media feel better or easier for you? Share them below.
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