What A Detox Did For Me
Jordan and I recently finished a month long social media detox. This did not include Pinterest (one does not simply give up Pinterest!), but focused mainly on Facebook because that tends to be the site that we wasted the most time on. We both felt that we spent an unhealthy amount of time on Facebook, and we certainly did. I remember having this pull to check my feed every 10 or 15 minutes even though there would be nothing new. It's safe to say I had an addiction.
I knew I was addicted to it, and it was a tremendous burden on me. That's so silly, isn't it?!?! Facebook is an awesome way to stay in touch with friends and family. In some cases, that's the main mode in which I communicated with people, especially in regards to retreats and such. I get my news, weather, and Steelers updates from Facebook or Twitter. Why is it a burden? Because I made it one.
It's sooo easy for us, especially women, to gauge our self worth by what others think of us. Or at least what we think they think of us. I like to post pictures and miscellaneous status updates, to provide inspiration or to update people on life's happenings. What started to happen, though, is that I began posting things hoping to get lots of "likes" or "shares". I was setting myself up for failure. A majority of Facebookers don't take the time to hit the "like" button, let alone "share". It doesn't mean they didn't enjoy seeing the post, they just didn't hit a button. Now why in the world would I want to base my self worth on the movement, or lack thereof, of a person's thumb? It's just silly.
Through the detox, I also found that I was much happier because I wasn't being bombarded by the political stories that saturate everyone's feeds this election season. As much as I love my country and politics, this year has been exhausting! I was also freed from seeing depressing and obnoxious news stories that are published just to get a rise out of the reader. Not only that, but I also found that I was less judgmental when I wasn't constantly trying to decipher open ended posts or mentally combat opinionated rants that would pop up on my feed (HOWEVER, I will say that as a common courtesy to everyone and to clear up confusion before it starts, it is probably best to keep complaint and/or cryptic posts to a minimum. Just good etiquette :) ) My mind was so much clearer! That was a huge blessing because starting school, and the fall season in general, comes with a lot to think about and prepare for.
Social media is a tool. Nothing more. Tools can be used for tremendous good or tremendous evil. The evil I speak of can be something to the effect of cyber bullying, or it can be the evil of the sins of jealousy, gossip, pride, or despair. The devil is very present on social media. However, just like any sin, choosing to follow Satan is a choice you make yourself.
Doing the social media detox was harder in some aspects than I was expecting, and easier in others. Toward the beginning, I did still have that desire to be checking my phone all the time, but it tapered off pretty quickly. Eventually, I actually forgot about it! There were isolated instances where I wanted to look something up but couldn't, but for the most part it wasn't hard to be without Facebook at all!
In fact, Jordan and I are a little bummed to have it back.
I wasn't expecting that, to say the least! Since being back, I've decided to be truly committed to spending the least amount of time on it as possible, and also choosing to do other things with my time when I would normally reach for my phone and scroll through my feed. There are real people around me who deserve my attention far more than the 'world' of Facebook does.
I want to encourage all of you to try a detox! I think you need a minimum of at least 2 weeks in order to really get the full effect. A month or more would be ideal. Use the time you would spend on Facebook to pray, read a book, or be with the people in your life in person! I promise it's worth it.
I knew I was addicted to it, and it was a tremendous burden on me. That's so silly, isn't it?!?! Facebook is an awesome way to stay in touch with friends and family. In some cases, that's the main mode in which I communicated with people, especially in regards to retreats and such. I get my news, weather, and Steelers updates from Facebook or Twitter. Why is it a burden? Because I made it one.
It's sooo easy for us, especially women, to gauge our self worth by what others think of us. Or at least what we think they think of us. I like to post pictures and miscellaneous status updates, to provide inspiration or to update people on life's happenings. What started to happen, though, is that I began posting things hoping to get lots of "likes" or "shares". I was setting myself up for failure. A majority of Facebookers don't take the time to hit the "like" button, let alone "share". It doesn't mean they didn't enjoy seeing the post, they just didn't hit a button. Now why in the world would I want to base my self worth on the movement, or lack thereof, of a person's thumb? It's just silly.
Through the detox, I also found that I was much happier because I wasn't being bombarded by the political stories that saturate everyone's feeds this election season. As much as I love my country and politics, this year has been exhausting! I was also freed from seeing depressing and obnoxious news stories that are published just to get a rise out of the reader. Not only that, but I also found that I was less judgmental when I wasn't constantly trying to decipher open ended posts or mentally combat opinionated rants that would pop up on my feed (HOWEVER, I will say that as a common courtesy to everyone and to clear up confusion before it starts, it is probably best to keep complaint and/or cryptic posts to a minimum. Just good etiquette :) ) My mind was so much clearer! That was a huge blessing because starting school, and the fall season in general, comes with a lot to think about and prepare for.
Social media is a tool. Nothing more. Tools can be used for tremendous good or tremendous evil. The evil I speak of can be something to the effect of cyber bullying, or it can be the evil of the sins of jealousy, gossip, pride, or despair. The devil is very present on social media. However, just like any sin, choosing to follow Satan is a choice you make yourself.
Doing the social media detox was harder in some aspects than I was expecting, and easier in others. Toward the beginning, I did still have that desire to be checking my phone all the time, but it tapered off pretty quickly. Eventually, I actually forgot about it! There were isolated instances where I wanted to look something up but couldn't, but for the most part it wasn't hard to be without Facebook at all!
In fact, Jordan and I are a little bummed to have it back.
I wasn't expecting that, to say the least! Since being back, I've decided to be truly committed to spending the least amount of time on it as possible, and also choosing to do other things with my time when I would normally reach for my phone and scroll through my feed. There are real people around me who deserve my attention far more than the 'world' of Facebook does.
I want to encourage all of you to try a detox! I think you need a minimum of at least 2 weeks in order to really get the full effect. A month or more would be ideal. Use the time you would spend on Facebook to pray, read a book, or be with the people in your life in person! I promise it's worth it.
Good for you! I think the FOMO is huge. No one wants to be the last one to hear about something.
ReplyDeleteExactly! That's was a big thing for me, but especially Jordan. FB has become the go to place for sharing info, so not having it can be really hard.
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