My friends, I want to talk about TikTok.

Specifically, I want to talk about the choice I made to stop posting on TikTok for the last three or so months.

I want to start by saying, if you're in the social media game, and you're feeling pressured to post all the time and you need a break, you do not need anyone's permission to take that break.

You don't need to inform anyone of your absence if you don't want to! You can just leave for a while and the online world will continue on merrily without you and that is totally fine and great, actually.

So here's the big, scary life update: as you might be aware, in September 2021, I was in France with my partner. At the end of that month, we decided it would be best to end our relationship and for me to go back to Montreal. I've been through breakups before but there is nothing like having to drive six hours to the airport and take a transatlantic flight in order to put some distance between you and your ex 😅

So, I got back to Montreal and I put all my energy and effort into a few different things:

1. Mending my broken heart. A lot of journaling, meditating, phone calls with pals, and if I'm being honest, lattes and book shopping. I think I spent like $150 on lattes in October! 🤣
2. Making my home (where I both live and work) the coziest and most welcoming place to be. Because I had planned to move to France, I hadn't paid much attention to my home space in Montreal. I figured if I was going to leave it, why bother spending time and money fixing it up? Now it's been painted a lovely saffron yellow and I've acquired rugs and lamps and I have many little DIY projects on the go or in my mind. I love my space so so much again.
3. Accomplishing the 2021 goal I set for myself waaaay back in November 2020 of launching a teacher training program, which I'm proud to say I did! Learn to Teach Trans Voice Alteration in 5 Weeks ran through November and December and it was everything I had hoped it would be and more. I really put my whole self into this project. I barely thought of anything else during those 5+ weeks, but I can not think of a more affirming or inspiring way to spend my post-breakup months.

So with all this stuff in mind, I'm sure it's easy to see why there was no room for TikTok in my life.

In the time I was away, I was sad to see that I actually lost 5000 followers! I don't know how TikTok works but I guess the growth is fast and so are the losses. I don't feel deterred by that, however, because the time I took has given me so much clarity around what I want and need in my life to be the happiest, healthiest, and most fulfilled version of myself.

Contrary to the subject of this post, I'm not completely back, baby. I still have not posted anything on TikTok this year. That said, I have spent the last few weeks getting my business organized and aligned so that I can work in a sustainable and accessible way.

The first crop of TikToks should come out next week and I hope you're as excited to see them as I am to make them! I feel ready again. That's the sign I was waiting for.

Renée ✨