I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately –⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ who we’d be and what we’d do if the internet didn’t exist. Can we even imagine? Would we be the same people? If the answer is no, maybe that’s a sign to pause.

I notice that the most magnetic people online aren’t usually primarly creating for an audience; they’re simply living their lives and sharing bits of it along the way. That feels like the right attitude –⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ life first, sharing second.

How to Stay True to Yourself in the Age of the Internet

Here are some gentle, therapist-style tips that I use myself:

Practice “offline days.” Spend a day without social media or posting. Notice what you naturally gravitate toward doing or thinking.

Ask “What’s my motive?” Before sharing or scrolling, pause and ask: “Am I sharing for connection, or for validation?” No judgment –⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ just awareness.

Revisit your values. Write down your top 3–5 life values. When you feel lost in online noise, use them as a compass.

Nurture real-life skills. Pick something you’d love to learn or practice offline –⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ cooking, a craft, a language, gardening. Let your hands remember.

Practice self-compassion. When you catch yourself comparing, remind yourself: “I’m enough. This is my journey, not theirs.”

Invest in real connections. Call a friend instead of commenting. Meet for coffee instead of DM-ing. Small, grounded acts build deep roots.

These steps do not mean that you are rejecting technology; they’re about reclaiming yourself. When we live first and share second, we stay closer to who we really are –⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and the internet becomes a tool, not a trap.