What I learned in Seven Days without Social Media!

Last Tuesday I made the decision to take a 7 day break from social media. The prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints encouraged all the youth to do it the Sunday before and I knew instantly that I wanted to join. But I was so nervous! It took me a couple days to convince myself that I could actually do it successfully. Isn't that pathetic? And it ended up being SO hard. As hard as I would have expected honestly, but also so amazing! By day 4 I finally stopped thinking about it every time I unlocked my phone. By the time today came around, I seriously considered extending for awhile because it was actually so refreshing to be free from all the extra noise and all the mindless scrolling. It's so crazy to me what a habit it has become. I've decided that at least for a few days, I'm going to keep the apps deleted off my phone, then I can just check it once a day when I'm on my computer. That way I can still keep up with people I care about, but without allowing it to waste my time. We'll see how that goes! A few things I learned over the last week:

• There is so much to see when you look up! Rather than staring at my phone while I waited for appointments, I'd people watch or I'd observe the world around me. I noticed people's emotions rather than them just passing me by without a glance because I was too busy scrolling through my phone. I got to spend time outside. Hiking, jumping on the tramp at my parents house, sitting on my back porch just basking in the sun and watching the wind rustle through the trees. 
• I had more time to be productive with my time. Whether I was cleaning the house, working on scrapbooks, spending time with family, my focus no longer felt split.
• I'm an introvert and get serious anxiety when it comes to small talk and interacting with people I don't know. Putting away social media forced me to push myself out of my bubble and make conversation with people that I probably would have just ignored if I had an easy way out. I realized that pushing past my comfort zone was actually a good thing! I learned more about people this week than I have in a long time!
• There is usually a reason for the instinct to grab your phone and start scrolling. Is it anxiety?Feeling depressed? Are you overwhelmed by your to do list? The biggest one I noticed for me was boredom. It's sad that a few minutes of stillness made me think I was bored and had to pull out my phone for entertainment. This week I realized that I had trained my brain to think that. I wasn't actually bored 95% of the time. I just had to think of things I could be doing or even just spend some time thinking. I've started to embrace those quiet moments. Focus on one thing at a time (rather than watching a show while scrolling through instagram).
• We can't blame social media for playing the comparison game. Yes, social media makes it more convenient to compare and belittle ourselves, but even without social media for a week I could still find reasons to put myself down. I think if we take some responsibility for the self-depreciating thoughts and find ways to personally combat it rather than just blaming it on social media, we will get a lot further with finding peace in who we are.

In the end, I don't think social media is a bad thing. A lot of good has come from social media. I've made friends, felt connected with people through similar struggles, stayed in contact with family that live far away. There is a lot of good in social media. But at least for me, I think a good break every here and then to remind myself of unproductive habits and routines (such as waking up to my alarm and first thing going to instagram...) is a really good thing. If you haven't tried this yet, I highly encourage it. And if you do, let me know! I'd love to do it with you, we can text and talk through it all so that we both still feel semi-connected with the world ;) I'm hoping to do another fast sometime in July when I'm back with Mckai so that I can watch how it improves our days together, our relationship, and the memories I take away from the small every day things. Social media, I like you. But I no longer feel addicted to you.