BALANCE

Social Media Boundaries

by Alyssa Falkenstein

It’s easy to get swept away isn’t it? When we reach for our phones…

The email, responding to inquiries, confirming a deadline, engaging with your audience. Before you know it, you’ve started scrolling. It’s easy at first, but over time it becomes draining.

Social media is intrinsic to launching a business in our current culture, even so— it can be a useful tool turned stronghold if we aren’t guarding our hearts. From the snare of comparison, to the loss of our time, it can easily wear us (and our families) thin.

How can we use social media to our advantage, while not letting it run our lives? How can we balance social media for our business and keeping our hearts safe in the process?

 

1) Block, Unfriend, Unfollow

You don’t owe your tiny corner of the internet to anyone. Family, friend, co-worker, or potential client.

We can’t live in echo chambers; hearing perspectives different from our own is important! Constructive criticism and feedback will sometimes be needed.

Anyone who disrespects your space, however, or only engages to argue or troll, bullies, or makes you uncomfortable— hide or delete them. If they are someone you can’t completely delete without causing an issue for your business, the hide or mute options are so helpful!

You have permission to do what you want on YOUR page. Boundaries aren’t rude and people pleasing isn’t kingdom.

This also goes for people who may not be good for your heart. Even if their content is incredible or informative, if it steals your peace to see them in your feed or your mind begins to wander down the path of comparison, unfollowing is often a good idea.

 

2) Don’t Engage

Don’t feed the trolls.

Don’t comment on that thread if you don’t have capacity to engage or debate, don’t spend your precious energy on people determined to misunderstand you.

Arguing is a waste with people who want to push a disagreement, they don’t align with the lost art of agreeing to disagree.

Maybe there’s a client or friend you respect who shares something you disagree with. That’s okay. Respect your space and scroll on, you don’t have to prove them wrong.

3) Let Your Yes Be Yes, and Your No Be No

In Matthew 5:37 Jesus tells us to “let your yes be yes and your no be no.” We need to speak with integrity and be straightforward! You don’t need to soften every answer with “maybe” or “just” or “kinda” words.

If you don’t want to take on that project, say no. If you don’t want to be added to someone’s program or mastermind, you have full authority to say “no thank you!” This goes for any partnership, transaction, or situation that applies.

You don’t need to beat around the bush, you don’t need to make excuses… Your no deserves respect.

Of course say what you must in kindness, this is a fruit of the spirit. But kindness isn’t allowing people to treat you like a doormat. Choosing to operate from a place of kindness doesn’t mean you can’t be firm.

4) Have Phone Hours

Has your phone ever given you an update on your app usage? It might take us all aback to see just how much time is spent on social media. While having strict business hours isn’t always applicable depending on what your business is, you can still guard the time spent on your phone.

Maybe this looks like deleting the apps off your phone completely when your kids are awake or home from school. Other options look like muting notifications during a specific range of time.

Use your smart phone to the best of its ability! There are a variety of settings and apps that can help you guard your time, including ones that lock you out of social media after a time limit, or apps that can post to your social media for you if you upload your content ahead of time.

Work smarter, not harder, and batch work so you can have phone hours, and family hours. And YOU hours too!

5) Build A Feed That Serves You Well 

Have you ever had a co-worker that made your entire day? The ones who made work easy and fun?

Social media is work, and even “going to work” should be something that serves you well! Your feed serves you in building community and fellowship with “co-workers” who are out in the Mompreneur field too.

Follow people who will inspire you, encourage you, and spur you on. When you must be on social media, engaging with others to appease the algorithm and sharing your own posts, the right “co-worker” makes it a far more enjoyable time.

Like we must guard ourselves from the pages that drain us, we should craft our feed to feature people we know will sharpen our iron. The pages that remind us of truth, that offer solidarity, and point us to Jesus.

We can thrive in our motherhood and entrepreneurship, and having a healthy relationship with our screens is a big part of that.

Ultimately, everyone’s relationship with their apps and business will be unique to their circumstances. As a Christian Mompreneur you have direct access to the Holy Spirit, who will lead you to the right path for the personal boundaries you need in your journey.

Ask the Lord this week to highlight any areas He wants you to examine. Pray for discernment about your business ventures and use of social media. He is so good and will show you where to move, and inspire brilliant ideas for your business!

Father, I pray for the mom reading this column right now. Thank you for divine inspiration in her business! You have led her to the path she is on and I thank you for being a good Provider, in all things. You will bring the right connections and You will provide the right clients. I pray that you increase her discernment in every situation regarding her business and her family as well. Thank you for being her strength, even in something as “small” as setting boundaries with her phone.

Amen!

xo, Alyssa

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“Alyssa lives in Northeast Ohio with her husband and children. She is a Hobbit at heart who loves gardening, baking bread, and a good book. She writes faith based encouragement and is currently working on her first novel!”

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