How to show up when you're over it (without disappearing entirely)
aka how to stay visible in a way that doesn’t fry your nervous system
Let’s be honest, there are seasons when it all just feels like too much.
Not only is AI flooding our feed making us feel like everyone is creating at a million miles an hour.
But the pressure of the holiday season making us feel we need to be everywhere at once.
Too much noise.
Too much pressure.
Too much “should.”
If you’re someone who makes work from the inside out: your creativity, your story, your lived experience, then you’ve probably faced this tension too:
How do I keep showing up online without showing up to burn out? (I have included a content planner at the end of this post for paying subscribers)
The truth is, i’ve been there more than once.
In the early years of building Secret Sessions, my content strategy could best be described as passion-led chaos. I'd go all in when the energy was high and disappear entirely when life caught up with me. It was inconsistent but honest and frankly, it worked well enough until it didn’t.
But everything changed this year.
When I had my baby in February, I had to rewire the whole way I thought about visibility. My energy was limited. My priorities had shifted. And yet I didn’t want to go silent. I didn’t want to vanish. So I started showing up softer.
Smaller moments. Simpler content.
Things like this quiet video on Instagram, which feels more like observational storytelling.
And what happened? Firstly 230,000 views but more importantly...
People leaned in. They commented, shared, replied to say: “I needed this.”
Turns out, you don’t have to be loud to be heard.
Quick ad Break (but the good kind):
Before we go any further, can I tell you the one thing that changed everything?
It wasn’t a new platform.
Or a perfect content plan.
It was writing my brand backstory (the real one.)
The version that didn’t sound like a TED Talk.
The one that actually connected.
So, if you're tired of marketing that feels like performance, this is your next step.
Click below for my free training on building your own brand backstory 👇
Here’s how I show up when I’m low-capacity:
I reuse my own greatest hits.
I have a folder of evergreen content I can grab from anytime. And the truth about content is - most of your followers didn’t see it the first time you posted it.
The stat is something like:
- 80% didn’t catch it
- 10% forgot
- And the 10% who did remember? Don’t mind seeing it again.
Plus, marketing isn’t about novelty.
It’s about repetition with meaning.
I’ve recycled posts for years. Not once has anyone called me out.
I default to video.
Writing can be a cognitive tangle for me (shoutout to ADHD), but I find my flow fast on video. I started as a filmmaker. YouTube was my first playground. When I hit record, I can speak directly to the heart of what I mean. Before my brain tries to edit it. Find your preferred format and find ways to default to it.
And I’ve set a baseline.
Even when I’m tired, even when I’m offline, I aim for one piece of content a week. That’s my minimum viable heartbeat.
But usually, I post Monday–Friday because I want to. I feel a responsibility to offer something useful, something hopeful, in a scroll that’s often heavy and hollow.
Because that’s the point, isn’t it?
It’s not about “beating the algorithm.”
It’s about being remembered for something that matters.
So if you’re feeling over it right now.
Give yourself permission to post softly.
Repurpose what still feels true.
Find your rhythm, not the rhythm.
You can step back without disappearing. Below (for paying members) is your planner to get started.
With you,
Harriet
🔒 Behind the Paywall: Minimal Viable Content Plan Template
👇 For paying members, I’ve shared:
- A Notion content calendar template (yep, the one I actually use)
- A Loom walkthrough on how I repurpose content week by week
- A quick method for planning your “low-lift, high-trust” content across a week or month
Think of it as your survival kit for staying visible—without sacrificing your mental health.