A Bloggers Tale: Shauna Lindsay

67.2k. . . that’s how many followers Limerick born beauty Shauna Lindsay currently holds on Instagram, but it isn’t about the number of followers for Shauna, for her it’s about sharing her authentic self which includes speaking honestly to her followers about her personal experience with anxiety, having Q&A’s with her followers on Instagram and even sharing videos of her amazing singing voice.

What I and Shauna’s other followers love about her, and is why we can’t peel our eyes away from her Instagram, is her complete honesty with her followers. She is always herself in all of her posts and stories, she’s not trying to sell ‘the perfect life’ or ‘perfect body’ on Instagram which so many people fall into the trap of doing. Instagram has become all about the right angles and the number of likes which can have negative mental effects on our Irish youth. I got in contact with Shauna to talk about the negative side of social media she has experienced as well as how she is coping with lock-down, something which everyone across the world is currently struggling with.

Q. The current health crisis has led to Irish people being confined to their homes giving us all an opportunity to slow down, spend time with our families and carry out those tasks we’ve been putting off for months because we were ‘too busy’. What has lock down given you the opportunity to do? Why did you choose to isolate in Dublin rather than Limerick?

I think it’s giving us all the opportunity to pause. I’m such a preacher of this but it’s so important to be able to sit with yourself and not constantly need to be doing something or be around someone else. We live in such a fast-paced world today that you often get caught up in it, I know I do. . .often. Your relationship with yourself is most important and it’s really given us all the chance to embrace that. I would much more happily be in Limerick but I had just got back from Dubai and had to self isolate hence why I’m still Dublin.

Q. Lock down has obviously made people feel lost without their daily schedule and many are isolated from their friends and loved ones. People have been sharing that their anxiety has also been affected. You have previously spoken honestly about your personal experience with anxiety, do you feel the current situation has had a negative effect on your anxiety? What advice do you have to give others to help ease those anxious feelings?

Thankfully my anxiety hasn’t kicked in, which I find mad but I think thanks to therapy I’ve learned how to cope with things better. We can’t control anything that’s happening right now and I think the fact the whole entire world is in this as one, is a really unifying feeling in a way so I’m not afraid because I’m not alone, if that makes sense. CBD oil helped me greatly with anxiety and I used to meditate every night before bed, which made me sleep better. (A lot of my anxiety came at night).

Q. You shared with your Instagram followers that you recently purchased a keyboard, what song are you currently learning to play?

I’ve always wanted to learn and I figured there’s no better time than the present 😆. I’m currently just trying to learn songs I love to sing, I think that way I won’t get bored of it. I’m obsessed with Billie Eilish so I’m currently learning a lot of her stuff. It’s all very slow and sad stuff too which helps when you’re a beginner 😆🙌🏽.

Q. Dublin nightlife is something we are all missing at the moment. ‘Just the one’ has become a joke across social media due to Irish people’s incapability of going for one drink and home 😂. What is your go to bar/club in Dublin for a night out?

Hmm there’s actually so many. I absolutely love Dublin for restaurants/bars. You will often find me in 37 Dawson street or Xico. I love House too.

Q. Music is something you have shown your love for over the years, even showcasing your amazing singing voice on Instagram. What gave you the courage to post videos online?

My mom always said there will come a day when you won’t care about what other people think and that day just arrived one fine evening 😂. It was nerve wrecking at first for sure and I often worried if someone would comment saying I’m brutal 😆. I think a lot of it was just a matter of growing up to be honest. I think the older you get the less people’s opinions matter to you. There’s always gonna be someone who doesn’t like you or what your doing. No matter what. I wouldn’t lose sleep over it anymore whereas when I was younger I would have.

Q. Tinder and Bumble have taken over how Irish people connect with the opposite sex, making everyone more accessible to a variety of people. What is your opinion of dating apps?

I mean, they connect people which is good but I feel like every app on my phone is a dating app these days. I consider Instagram a dating app 😂

Q. Maintaining our fitness has become of huge importance to Irish people over the past year, becoming instrumental in helping to reduce anxiety and stress. With gyms now closed some are struggling with keeping those feelings at bay. How have you ben maintaining your fitness during lock-down?

I can honestly say I haven’t done one home workout. . .YET. Seeing everyone be so active is giving me more anxiety than this pandemic 😆. I’m going to start though, I really like running so I’ll do a few rounds of my neighbourhood.

Q. Social Media use has skyrocketed over the past two years bringing with it both positive and negative effects. Currently the power of social media is helping many charities across the world keep funding coming through from online donations which is truly amazing and is one of the huge positives of social media but, what negative sides of social media have you experienced?

Yeah there’s incredible work being done on social media right now which I love to see! Sometimes it can feel like there’s only negatives when it comes to social media but then amazing things like charity work and support groups happen and your reminded how it’s an incredible tool when used the right way!

Negatives would be trolls I suppose. Keyboard warriors. I’ve had them myself and it ain’t pretty. There’s just no need. I’ve also seen people get really wrapped up in social media, myself included for a period of time. Just obsessing over every little thing, it can be really harmful to your mental health.