Summer is my favoriteeee season! Because summer is so different when you’re out of school and working, it took me a while to adjust to that summer, care-free feeling. Mostly because I still have a lot of cares, like a lot of them. But I’m making big plans and my list is below – what will you be doing this summer?
I love social media, I’ve loved it ever since I get tweets as texts to my flip phone and built up my Myspace profile to 4,000 friends.
I naturally became invested in becoming an Instagram influencer and blogger and I love making content and connecting with people. I work in communications. Social media is basically my life and to some that may be pathetic, but to me it’s what makes me happy.
Reaching people, being creative, and pushing myself for my passion is rewarding to me.
I know some people will say kids these days are attached to their phone, put their whole lives of Facebook, and are lazy and dramatic on the internet. But social media is so much more than that. It’s a connection, it’s an influence, it’s fun.
But social media also comes with a lot of pressure. You used to get judged by your in-person appearance, now you get judged on what you put on Facebook, your follower ratio on Twitter, and how many likes you get on Instagram. It’s all very overwhelming especially if you use social media professionally and personally like I do.
A month or two ago I realized how much it was all really impacting me. I was spending hours on Instagram, combing through hashtags and following people and creating perfect photos. And it started eating at me because I felt like my work wasn’t being rewarded. Social media is work for me and a passion project for me, but I recently lost all of the fun and the passion.
I would get visibly upset when I didn’t get any good photos from an event I went to, even if I enjoyed the event it would get overshadowed by lack of likes, the retweets, the comments.
I had to put my life back into perspective. My whole goal with my Instagram in the first place was to influence others to live their best lives, that they don’t have to be perfect but they can still have fun. I wanted others to follow me so I could inspire them. I wanted the likes and comments so I could reach more people. But I lost all of that to number goals and getting wrapped up in not being as good as everyone else.
Other bloggers have fancy cameras, perfectly coordinated shots, and tons of engagement. I don’t have that and it used to be okay because I wasn’t trying to be perfect. But it’s hard not to want to be what those bloggers are, to not compare yourself to their smiles and their lives.
So I’m going back to the basics, still working on growing my numbers but not getting physically upset over them. The goal was and is now again to show people that you can live your happiest life, you can travel and enjoy what you do even when you feel restricted. I want to inspire others and I can’t do that if I’m not inspiring myself first and shrugging off the social media pressure.
All things Rosie Culture can be found at the links below. I would love to get 550 likes on my Facebook page by the end of summer, I’m at 524 right now so I have about two months to get 26 more! Feel free to also drop your social media links in the comments 🙂
Being from NJ, I am mostly limited to New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, etc. for short weekend trips – ones that don’t require me to take off from work.
This past weekend I went to the Finger Lakes with a group of friends and was pleasantly surprised by how much we loved the area.
What we did:
1. Hiked Watkins Glen State Park – the views were AMAZING! And it was a relatively easy hike.
2. Wine Tastings – the Finger Lakes is the Wine Country of the East Coast. Wineries are a must do!
Where we ate:
1. Red Newt Bistro – if you like grilled cheese then you need to try their artisanal take on the sandwich!
2. The Lakeside Restaraunt – great view views of Keuka lake and great food!
Wineries:
1. Red Newt – very fun wine tasting and great views!
2. Wagner- awesome views and also has a brewery!
3. Bully Hill – very quirky, great views, and great wine!
The best part of the Finger Lakes was the views of the farms, rolling hills, and stunning lakes. Anything you do there, make sure you’re doing it with a view. All of the places we went were overlooking dreamy lake and hill views.
Have you ever been to New York and visited somewhere outside of NYC?
Every trip I take usually holds one little gem that I remember forever. When I think of a place, my mind will automatically wander to that gem whether it be food, people, sights, or just the experience itself! Below is a list of my favorite things from places I’ve traveled – inspired by a post from dreamsvoyager.
Montreal
My favorite thing was the food! And the pub crawl we went on, we met some really cool people.
Iceland
The blue lagoon was my favorite part, but I’ll never forget the way I felt after we hiked to see a glacier.
Nashville
Being with my best friends and finding cool wall murals!
Toronto
The people in Toronto are amazing, they made the whole trip great! Toronto is a place I’d love to call home.
Washington D.C.
The history! Duh.
Portland, Maine
Seafood and lobster rolls, yummmm.
Let me know some of your favorite things from the places you’ve traveled in the comments!
I think there is a lot of pressure to be happy. When you work somewhere, when you’re out with your friends, when you’re in a relationship…everyone assumes that because of where you are, you should be happy.
But that’s really not always the case and it’s not always because of the people around you. You might be sad. And it’s not because you don’t have a great job, boyfriend/girlfriend, friends or family. It’s just because at this moment in time you don’t feel all that happy, and that’s okay.
It’s hard to admit you’re just sad especially when you can’t pinpoint the reasoning behind it. Then people don’t understand, they blame themselves and they blame you. But sometimes life gets stagnant, sometimes you didn’t sleep that well for a week, sometimes you feel a little lost and all of that builds up to a sadness that isn’t anyone’s fault.
And the more we deny what we’re feeling, the more we convince ourselves that we should be happy so we are happy, the more sad we actually get.
It’s okay to be sad, it’s okay to tell people you feel sad. No one is 100% all of the time and I can almost guarantee the moment you admit your feelings will be the moment that a lot of things come into perspective A step out of feeling sad.
It’s a lot of pressure, life. Everyone’s always trying to one-up each other in their woes and tragedies. But no matter what your situation, whether it be life and death or a flat tire. It’s okay to be sad, stressed, and overwhelmed.
