How I Learned to Be Mindful on Substack

and not lose my mind when I lose subscribers...

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Six months ago, my husband introduced me to Substack, and little did I expect to become so hooked to this platform. Why the hell did I not know about this before?! I wondered. A few days after binge-reading some amazing stuff on Substack, I was completely freed from the need to doomscroll on other social media. I instantly knew that I wanted to be a part of this community and share what little I know about life and its musings.

Choosing what to write about was easy—mindfulness had become a cornerstone of my life, transforming it in every way. The journey from being an emotional mess to becoming more self-aware and mindful was a deeply personal story I had never shared with anyone, and Substack felt like the perfect space to finally let it all out.

But… But, I soon discovered that my peace of mind would be challenged by the very platform where I decided to write about mindfulness. And that I would be obsessing over my stats, losing my mind over losing a few subscribers, doubting my abilities, and almost bordering on imposter syndrome. Before I talk more about that, let me tell you,

How it all started…

"I’d be elated if I make it to even 100 subscribers," I told my husband after signing up on Substack, uncertain if anyone would be interested in reading what I write. There are far more experienced people discussing this topic—am I even qualified to talk about it? Doubts crept in, but I pushed through, reminding myself that no one had lived my life but me.

No one can tell the story of my experiences better than I can.

I posted my first newsletter with zero subscribers, and it received just two likes. “Okay, it’s just the beginning,” I thought. Over the following weeks, I continued posting regularly without seeing the growth I expected, yet I persisted. After more than a month on Substack, I was stuck at about 20-30 subscribers and began to wonder if this was the right platform for me.

Then something happened…

One of my posts garnered more attention than the others, leading to a surge of new subscribers. My faith in Substack (and myself) was restored, and I gained newfound enthusiasm to become a better writer.

I reached 100 subscribers in less than three months, and it felt amazing, but the joy was short-lived as I started comparing my growth to publications with over a thousand subscribers and others who gained more subscribers than me in a similar time frame.

I found myself focusing too much on my stats rather than my initial goal of writing. Instead of being thankful for the hundred wonderful people who welcomed me into their inboxes, I fixated on others who didn’t.

I was trapped in a cycle of comparison, self-doubt, and mental chaos. I wondered if I should continue writing about mindfulness when my own mental peace was being compromised by the platform.

Not gonna lie, at one point I even considered deleting my Substack with 300 subscribers. Before pressing the button into the danger zone of Substack, thankfully, I talked to my husband, and his simple advice brought me back to my senses. “Just focus on your writing and leave everything else aside.”

That’s exactly what I needed to hear.

I gradually felt my energies shift from the low vibrations of fear, desire, and guilt to the higher vibrations of acceptance and gratitude. "You have the right to perform your duty, but not to the fruits of your actions.” I reminded myself of this quote, and well, I can’t tell you the number of times it has shifted my mindset from a low emotional state.

I finally realized that I can only control my actions, not the outcomes. I need to detach myself from my desires, not by shutting down my feelings or renouncing responsibilities, but by performing my duties mindfully without being emotionally entangled in the results. This meant not getting too swayed by success or discouraged by failure.

Embracing detachment allowed me to use Substack with more clarity and less fear, leading to a sense of inner peace and liberation. Without attachment, my actions became more effective because they were no longer clouded by fear or desire.

And when I fell into the social media trap again…

I handled it way better!

After I came back from an amazing holiday with my family, I found out that my Substack engagement had plummeted, and I even lost a few subscribers.

The newsletter I posted during the vacation did not receive as good a response as my previous ones. I did feel a little disappointed, but I was able to pull myself out of that zone faster.

I accepted that things don’t always happen as planned, and that’s okay. Some of my posts would perform well, while others would not. It’s all part of the social media game. Substack, in particular, isn’t as toxic as other platforms, but it still operates on algorithms and numerous other factors that are not always in our control.

To authentically write about mindfulness, I knew I had to embrace my truth first. I adopted a few mindful practices on Substack, and I keep them like a checklist to frequently remind myself whenever I feel I’m deviating from my path.

• Not obsessing over my subscriber count or other stats

• Not comparing my growth to others. Every writer has their own path, and I’m here to walk mine

• Building genuine connections through honest conversations and empathy

• Avoiding quick growth strategies that just feed the algorithm and don’t attract genuine readers. A big NO to subscribe for subscribe, spamming, and all that BS

• Not getting swayed by success or failure. Whether my posts are liked more or less than expected, I maintain my focus on writing better

• Focusing on creating authentic content and providing actual value to my readers.

• Showing gratitude to every subscriber, like, and comment I receive

In hindsight, I asked myself the most important question: “Why am I here on Substack?” The answer was simple—I’m here to express myself, tell stories, and, if I may, leave a positive influence on others. I’m here to be an actual writer with something tangible to share with the world.

I don’t want to wonder, “What if I had started writing?” forever.

How do I deal with trolls and negativity on Substack?

I have had mostly positive experiences on Substack, almost ninety percent of the time. The rest ten percent is inevitable and perhaps necessary because the negative aspect of anything always pushes us to see past our belief systems and challenges us to address the negativity within us. Every time I have encountered a troll, it has given me a chance to either show more kindness or set boundaries if necessary.

As the saying goes, “You find what you seek.” Substack algorithms tailor our feeds based on the content we consume the most, whether political, cultural, personal, or even sexual newsletters.

The good thing is, we can optimize our feed to our liking. If I don’t like something on Substack, I either express my opinion politely, scroll past it, or block/mute it in the worst-case scenarios. I don’t write (or respond to) hateful or demeaning comments.

We already have enough of that on other social media platforms. It’s up to us to keep Substack as thoughtful as we perceive it to be.

Mindfulness isn’t difficult, we just need to remember to do it. – Sharon Salzberg

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Love,

Sona