A year ago I would have never thought that my Blog and Instagram would have had to take such a long break. But the past year has truly been a whirlwind for me because of our move to Hong Kong from Singapore.
The move has taken a personal toll on me because I had to re-prioritise my life and shift the focus solely on my family. And in all honestly it hasn’t been easy to take a break from Social Media. There have been several days where all I have wanted to do is to post an update about my life. But I struggled to find time to collect my thoughts together and at the same time I did not want to be posting inconsistently.
There also came a point where I felt my life just wasn’t fully in my control. So I struggled with the thought of presenting a life that was less than perfect. Sometimes as humans we tend to put too much pressure on ourselves and I felt that withdrawing from Social Media all together was the best approach to deal with my anxiety. Writing this post has taken me around three weeks, but I am so glad that I am finally started writing again and sharing my life with all of you.
Over the past year, I have dedicated my entire time to my children. As a mother, they have always been my top priority and I needed to ensure that they adjusted to our new life. And while there have been many ups and downs with the move, I can finally say that we are all now happily enjoying life in Hong Kong.
But there are still many days when I do miss our lives in Singapore. It was home for the last seven years and it’s a place where I will always treasure our memories as a family. Singapore was the first country we lived in as a married couple and it’s where both of the children were born. Life in Singapore had become so comfortable and easy with the children. Their daily routines and play dates were all setup during the week. This allowed me to have more time to myself and dedicate my free time to the Blog.
My first few weeks living in Hong Kong, I missed the comfort and all of our close friends in Singapore. It was suddenly just me and the children all day (I was unable to find time for myself). But I am so glad that I decided to focus fully on my family because the children have done remarkably well adjusting to a new school and making new friends (six months into living in Hong Kong). And I could also argue that moving to Hong Kong has provided us with the opportunity to break out of our comfort zone and become closer as a family. We are exploring and discovering a new city together, pushing our boundaries.
I had my children when I was fairly young and have always firmly believed in my decision to become a stay home mother. There is nothing more satisfying than spending time with them and seeing the world through their eyes. I feel that you learn so much from them every day. But at the same time I have realised the importance of having a creative outlet, where I can be myself and not a mother. That is how the Blog was first started, it was a means for me to do something on my own for myself.
This leads me now to finally having more time to myself and writing again. Being away has helped me understand that I truly do love creating and posting on the Blog, so I promise to be more consistent with my posts. And I want you all to know that even though I took time off, I never stopped creating content. I just had to make a decision not to post on Instagram, until I could fully dedicate time to writing here.
I really want to thank all of you for asking about me, I have had so many messages asking why I had disappeared. I hope this post helps to explain the reasons for why I had to take a Social Media break. And I also have to thank everyone I was working with a year ago, for being so patient with me. Hong Kong is such a dynamic and exciting city, it has a totally different vibe to Singapore. I can’t wait to explore and share my experiences with this city with you.
Top: Mango | Skirt : Topshop | Shoes: Zara | Earrings: J.Crew | Sunglasses: Quay Australia|
SHOP THE LOOK
Hi Sara, totally understand how you feel. I took a break too back in 2013 when we moved from SG to HK. And now we are back in SG. Relocating is never easy plus with kids and pets it makes it lots worse. Glad you have finally settled down and if there is anything you need in terms of pointing you in the right direction seeing I have lived there twice now for a total of 9 yrs., please feel free to reach out.
All the best and you look gorgeous in this outfit!
Simone xoxo
http://www.yourstylearchitect.blogspot.com
Kudos to you that put your children and family first before everything else Sarah! Believe or not I can totally related and understand your feeling of moving to Hong Kong. We as expats moved to Hong Kong on 2011 and stayed there for 3 years. It was a big adjustment for me and the family. I stayed at home taking care of the kids too. Now thinking back the experience of living in Hong Kong was one of the best memories in our life. I hope Hong Kong grows on you gradually. In the end, it is one of the dynamic cities on earth.
Xx
Ting
Moving is a huge transition that comes with so many different emotions. I’m glad to read that you are feeling a bit better about everything. It takes time. You have everyone you need with you- your family!! Be kind to yourself during this time. Lots of positive thoughts!
It is true that we can see many different things in the eyes of our children, thank you for posting and being honest about your struggles, sometimes stepping back and taking the time that you need for yourself is what is best!
~xo Sheree
poshclassymom.com
Girl, it is truly inspirational that you were able to know yourself and you business well enough to know when to just take a break. I feel like there is such a pressure to push through things, but I do believe that you need to listen to your head and heart to truly know what is right for you. So glad to have you back <3
xoxo,
E
I think it’s great to take a break from social media honestly. Sometimes we get so caught up in living our best lives online that we forget to live our real lives, and adjusting to a big move like that must be reallly hard! Glad you got through it and are back!
PS. Your earrings and sunglasses are SO FAB!!
xx
http://www.freshfizzle.com
Hey Darling:)
Hows you?
Happy that you are back and 100% Understand you!
I do take breaks too sometimes from the Social media:)
Love your Skirt and the boots so much:)
Love, Kisses
Happy Week
Karina
Thank you for telling your story and your thoughts. I’m understanding why you mean about home staying motherike me and have the blog to can make something for us. Something that we can manage from our home organizing our time.
I hope you have a great start in you new life. Good luck!
Your look is stylish and elegant . I have the similar boots 🙂
Xx
Eva
http://www.themermaidfashion.com
I totally agree with your thoughts.
I think we all have to take breaks coz we all need some me-time, family-time, etc.
I took a break last year, and that period gave me so much energy!
xoxo
Hey love,
How are you? Well, it’s glad to have you back. I think that it’s great that you took a break to focus on the things that are really important. It’s good to put things like social media on pause for a little while so you can have your full attention on what’s necessary and that you can truly find yourself that way when you come back you can do it stronger and provide better content. I serve your outfit, I love it so casually yet chic. Thanks for sharing!
xo, vanessa
http://thefashionstatement.net
I am so glad you didn’t leave for good! I certainly missed your colorful and unique looks on my feed. I am glad you took that time away you needed to spend time with your family. Those are days you can’t get back later! Excited to see what content you produce in the future! 🙂 Loving this look too, btw!
Love your beautiful photos & I think it’s so wonderful that you are sharing your personal journey with us. You did the right thing. When something had to give you have to put your family first. That is a decision you’ll never regret. Can’t wait to see more of your amazing new city!
Xo,
Rachel
rachel@withloveandstyle.com
I feel you girl., I am so overwhelmed with the social media lately that am in need of a big break. Glad you took the time off to spend with your family and get back to where you left off. I’m getting married overseas and is taking all my energy yo plan it. A social media break would be a great idea. Love your look!
Aurela x
http://www.aurelafashionista.com
Hi darling, hope you had a smooth settling into Hong Kong. It’s such a beautiful and charming city if you take some time to discover it 🙂 Let me show the beautiful side of it when I’m back in town next week !!! Can’t wait to catch up with you.
xx, Jessie
http://4evajessie.com/catapulting-fashion-campaigns-the-ultimate-online-overhaul/
So glad to have you back babe! I love your outfit so much! You styled it perfectly.
It makes me happy to hear things are good and that everyone adjusted 🙂
You did what was right for your fam!
Thanks for sharing!
XO
Aimara
http://www.waysofstyle.com
Just came across this and it really resonated with me for a certain part of my time this year too. Also props to you for openly saying that you’d like to be a stay at home mom too – cos with all the feminism conversation taking place these days – I feel like most people are scared to openly admit that…
Hope things are starting to settle down for you!
x Van
http://www.forevervanny.com/