4 Tips for Overcoming the Fear of “Putting Yourself Out There” on Social Media
Who else has debated whether or not to share things on social media because of what other people would think... what they’d say or how it would make you look? 🙋🏼♀️Yep, guilty. Being a business owner and blogger will do that to you reallyyyy fast! Here’s the thing though, I can tell you from experience, the only thing it gets you is a one-way ticket to overthinking land and a watered-down version of yourself, and nobody likes that!
Really though, there is no bigger waste of time than “worrying” about what other people may think of you and your life — especially when it comes to social media posts. I know deep down most of us know that, but putting it to action is often a whole other thing. So today I’m sharing a few tips on how to overcome your fears of putting yourself on social media!
Reflect on why showing up scares you
When I’m working through any fears or chapters of pushing myself I like to start by facing the fear straight on…. WHY is it that this scares me or makes me nervous? Make a big ol’ list of all of the reasons so you can see them all. Something I then like to do is play “worst-case scenario”. I’ll go through each of my fears and walk through in my head “what is the worst thing that can happen if this fear actually happens”. For the most part, I realize reallyyyyy fast that the worst-case scenario usually isn’t as bad as I think. Chow’s voice from “The Hangover” comes into play here… “but did you die?” 😂For real though, oftentimes we build our fears up SO much, when it’s not that serious in the end.
Go back to your why
Now that we’ve reflected on why you have that fear or are overthinking things, let’s go to the benefits of you putting yourself out there. Maybe you’re a business owner or blogger like me… by posting I’m able to show others the work I do and highlight my passions… The only way for me to let others know about the work that I do so that I can grow both of my ventures is to share about it!
Maybe you’ve been through some ish and you have a message to share to help empower others. The only way you can pass on that message is by sharing!
Maybe you have a gift for putting together the perfect outfit or are amazing at doing makeup. Sharing allows you to explore those passions more and connect with others with similar interests.
Or maybe just by you showing up on your personal accounts, you’ll be able to stay in touch with your family or friends better.
Having this “why”, especially when there are other goals attached to it gives you purpose! Any time you get nervous, lean into your purpose and try and flip the script on focus on all of the GOOD things that can happen if you do share.
Realize people are more concerned with themselves
Real talk, for the most part, people are way more concerned with themselves than what you’re doing. The reality of it is that post that just took you an hour to write and you obsessed over every word making sure the tone was right? Most people probably wouldn’t have noticed a big difference between the two. Or that reel that you made but felt silly doing and were afraid to post? The people who it didn’t resonate with… they just scrolled on by. It can be SO easy to overthink things when we’re putting ourselves out there but realize oftentimes it’s only a big deal to you!
Practice makes perfect!
Okay, so there’s really no perfect in this scenario but the concept is the same. The best way to grow your confidence in showing up online is to show up online. To DO the thing that makes you a little nervous. You can start small too! Come up with a plan to ease into it. Maybe you start by posting in your Instagram grid and then ease into doing text-based stories. Once you’ve mastered that, maybe you’ll start by doing a few stories each week where you’re talking to the camera, then later move into creating reels or IGTVs. Taking things a step at a time can help a lot! That way you give yourself time to get more comfortable at every stage.
Listen, I totally get that putting yourself out there on social media can feel scary… but you’ve GOT this! Just take it a day at a time. I promise the first time you get a message from someone saying that they loved your message… or they like your work… or even better, they want to know how they can hire you. It will make your efforts feel like they’re worth it and inspire you to keep going!
Anna Osgoodby
Founder of Going Bold Studio, Anna Osgoodby is an award-winning designer and social media marketing expert. With over a decade of experience, she specializes in helping small businesses with their social media, branding and Squarespace website design.
