Life Without Social Media?

I decided in January that I wanted to learn to relive my life without social media. It was hard because I’ve been on social media since before Myspace was a thing. Another reason why it was hard was because one of my New Year resolutions is still to be more creative and consistent with my blog. However I figured my mental health during this time of progress was more important.

I think social media is a great platform. You can start a successful business with just a little money and an Instagram account. On the flip side, it can ruin lives. So what are my negative opinions on social media?

Time: I used to get off of work, get home, and open Instagram or Facebook. I wouldn’t even turn on the TV, just sat down and started scrolling. Seconds, minutes and hours would pass me without me even knowing. I never really knew how much time was spent on social media until iPhone added the screen time feature. When I decided to fast from social media I decided to replace that time spent on social media with something productive. For me that was reading, I completed two books during this time, and started planning my next business ventures. Where could your time on social media be spent?

Self: When fasting from social media I decided to focus on myself verses what everybody else is doing. It is hard to focus on yourself when your thinking about if so and so are still together, I can’t believe she’s pregnant, why did he post that and etc. Then you tend to compare your life to others. This is what I call “Saving the Race”, which to me means learning, being confident in yourself, and God that life is not a race, everybody is moving at a different pace. Investing more focus in myself has helped me in so many ways.

Authenticity: Today it seems like authenticity is hard. Whether it is the way people dress, the way people act, even the way people see relationships, its all starting to look the same. Taking time off social media forced me to think of what makes me different and how can this be expressed.

I know some people may disagree but this is all opinionated. When I first started this journey every time I unlocked my phone my mind was trained to go straight to Instagram or Facebook. Now a month later, I can control my time spent on both, whether that is minutes on social media or days off of it. So if you feel you need more time, more focus on yourself or want to be more like you, try a social media fast! Let me know how it goes.