A Summer Sabbatical

This morning I deleted Instagram, Threads, and the Substack app from my phone. I paused paid subscriptions for Stir & Scribble until August. Then I spent the next couple of hours deep cleaning the house while drafting this post in my head. If you know me, you might know that feeling-cleaning is akin to journaling for processing my feelings.

Let me back up a bit: last week I had a regular power hour planning session with Ammie Williams. We talked about how I was feeling the urge to quit the internet. She calmly walked me through how I could step back from posting but not away entirely and I left feeling renewed energy towards creating. The plan was to slow down and be more intentional with my time creating so I could be present with my kids for summer break. It was a great plan, it might have even worked, but I couldn’t shake the apathy I have had towards showing up here or on Instagram.

The truth is that I’m burnt out on being online. I’ve been sharing my work and life on the internet in some capacity since 2016 (longer if you count Instagram). And I’ve been burned out in some capacity since 2020. In 2021 I left my full time job in editorial, but tried to pivot to building Didn’t I Just Feed You full time and, at the same time, I took on the role of primary caretaker while my husband began commuting regularly for work. Even when we stopped producing DIJFY in October of last year and I took on homeschooling our middle schooler, I didn’t stop sharing. Instead I poured myself into Substack and Instagram. I ignored the burn out that showed up as apathy.

I have also been talking to close friends about how going into summer break I feel differently about it than I have in a while. Its hard to explain how this summer feels different than the others, like it might be the last of its kind — especially when no two summers have ever been the same. And I kind of don’t want to share it with anyone — I don’t want to be thinking about how I need a picture of our picnics or pool time for Substack or how I’m going to turn Milkshake Day into a carousel for Instagram.

Next Thursday is our last day of school, and I thought maybe I’d limp through my planned content for May, but something stirred in me this week. If I’m going to hit pause on writing and creating on the internet, now feels as good a time as any. I do have a few freelance assignments on the docket and I haven’t yet decided if I’ll take any new ones through the summer.

I’m hoping that I’ll come back in some capacity in August, but I also want to be really honest that I may not come back for longer, or at all. For now, paid subscriptions are paused through August 16th after which I’ll check in about turning off paid subscriptions entirely and issuing refunds as appropriate. No hard feelings if you unsubscribe in any capacity!

I realize I could just stop posting, come back when it feels right to do so, but I hate to think any of you will worry. Many of you have followed me from the early days of Alton tagging me on Instagram or my first blog or even since I wrote for the Kitchn or started DIJFY and I’m forever grateful for the support you’ve shown throughout my career. I won’t miss doom scrolling but I will miss many of you so much. Email is a great way to reach me this summer — meghanjsplawn@gmail.com.

All my love, Meghan