When I scrolled less, I saw more

July 1st - Somewhere between slow mornings and quiet realizations.

Ever since I created the Selflavie Instagram account and this blog, I simply haven't had the time to scroll through social media like I used to. Most of my energy has gone into being in the flow of creating, and sharing content that feels true to me. And surprisingly, it's felt so much more nourishing than the mindless doomscrolling I used to fall into.

In the resent past, I spent evenings endlessly scrolling TikTok and Instagram. I wasn't out much, so my window to the world was filled with perfectly curated images: glowing skin, designer homes, trend cycles, and people who always seemed effortlessly put together. Without even noticing, I began measuring myself against these glossy surfaces. No wonder I often felt like I wasn't enough.

Something changed during a trip I took last month. I remember looking around and thinking: "Wait… I don't look so bad." In fact, I felt beautiful for the first time in a long while, just wandering around in my sunhat and in a layer of sunscreen.

Only afterwards did I realize why. I had spent time among real people. Not filtered images, but humans in motion, with texture and wrinkles and smiles and softness. Something shifted inside me. It felt like permission. A gentle reminder that we are already beautiful, not because of polish or perfection, but because of our humanness.

We are textured. We are asymmetrical. We are real.

And another positive thing I've noticed since reducing my screen time is, that I barely feel the urge to shop anymore. It's subtle, but social media constantly plants seeds of lack. You might not even realize it: a new blush in spring's trending shade, the latest gym wear promising motivation, a ten-step skincare routine you suddenly feel you need or else you're doing something wrong. It's exhausting. And it's designed that way. But something shifts when you step outside the cycle. When you choose presence over pressure. When you realize you don't need a full cart to be complete.

Of course, social media can be beautiful too. Since starting Selflavie, I've stumbled into a softer corner of the internet, filled with gentle, encouraging souls. I've found accounts that celebrate underconsumption, slow mornings, and the tiny joys of everyday life. People who remind me that softness is strength. This is the space I want to create, and to live in.

And what I've also learned is that social media is a landscape and like any landscape, it's layered. There are loud paths and quiet ones. There's noise and nourishment. It takes presence, and sometimes practice, to know which voices to listen to.

It amazes me how much we can learn from each other online. One soft post can introduce you to a whole new concept you've never heard before. A caption can hold language your heart didn't know it needed. A stranger's ritual can become your own. It's not about knowing everything, it's about staying open.

That's why I'm so intentional about what kind of space Selflavie becomes. I don't want it to be just another stream of noise or a list of things to strive for. I want it to feel like a deep exhale. A gentle pause. A corner of the internet that invites you to soften, not perform. To feel, not scroll past. To remember what matters, and what doesn't.

And most of all, I want to drink my morning coffee from a chipped old mug. To shuffle around in my worn-out robe. To create content that not only uplifts others, but uplifts me too. And maybe most importantly, I want to keep reminding you and also myself that we are already enough.

If you wish to stay close, follow @selflavie on Instagram for slow rituals, worn-out robes, self-love reflections and gentle reminders that you are already enough. No pressure. Just presence. Just love.

Soft hugs,
Selflavie