The past three months I took a much-needed break from social media. Yes, I did sell a few things on Facebook Marketplace, and Snapchat the occasional friend, but other than that I have been social media free. And let me tell you it has been wonderful! I have hardly struggled with comparison or fear of missing out and I feel much more present in every space I step into.
So if I'm happier without social media, why get back on it?
There were moments when I seriously debated going off the grid altogether... I mean deleting my social media accounts permanently and getting a flip phone. I'm not joking. I didn't miss it whatsoever.
However... I do miss the people that social media keeps me connected with, and as I get older it seems like social media is the best way to stay in touch. I also want this blog to be successful. I want my writing to reach new audiences, and that requires promoting it through social media. All in all, it seems I can't run from it, so that means I must control my social media intake instead of allowing it to control me.
I must control my social media intake instead of allowing it to control me.
I am learning how to exercise self-control and set limits.
I have done an inventory of exactly what I don't like about social media and here's my list:
I lose a significant chunk of time, often looking at things that aren't important to me.
I often compare what I have or what I look like with others, this leaves me feeling unhappy and honestly sometimes just plain envious.
I find myself mindlessly scrolling. This causes me to miss out on important moments going on right in front of me. I am guilty of using social media as a crutch for my anxiety instead of working to develop a sense of inner peace.
The great thing is that all of these problems have simple solutions that don't have to end in buying a flip phone and going off the grid. Here's what I have come up with, hopefully, some of these solutions will be helpful to you too!
Solution #1- Set limits on certain apps in settings.
Did you know you can set time limits on certain apps just by simply going into Settings> Screen Time> App Limits on your iPhone? It's super simple. Once you get there, select the apps you want to limit and it sets a timer and notifies you when you have reached your limit.
You can also schedule downtime by going to Settings> Screen Time> Downtime. Then you set times where your phone only allows you to access certain apps. You can edit the apps that are allowed during downtime by going into Settings> Screen Time> Allowed Apps. For example, my phone goes into downtime from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m, during that time I can only access apps that are necessities like the Phone, iMessage, my running app, and the Clock app to set my alarm.
Solution #2- Unfollow what isn't life-giving. Also, unfollow what is wasting your time.
When I say unfollow what isn't life-giving, I don't mean canceling people. I just mean kindly choosing not to fill your space and time with something that isn't encouraging you or connecting you with people you care about. It is ok to unfollow your mom's best friend's daughter's younger cousin if you don't know them and reading their life updates isn't bringing you joy. If there's one thing I'm learning, it is that the time in our lives is limited, and the only way to make space for what is truly important is by filtering out what isn't. We have got to stop apologizing and feeling guilty for making space for what brings us joy.
We have got to stop apologizing and feeling guilty for making space for what brings us joy.
And yeah, we are all guilty of following and viewing stupid stuff... but the video of some random person's super cute dog barking to Taylor Swift's latest hit isn't going to free up more time for you to do the things you love. It is only taking you out of a moment you should either be present in or be getting stuff done. I'm not sure what time suckers are filling your feed but for me, that means meme accounts, enneagram accounts, political commentary accounts, and celebrities.
Solution #3- Fight envy and comparison with celebration.
What if every time we felt that tinge of jealousy creep in we started by acknowledging it. Identifying this feeling and acknowledging it gives us more power to fight it. Now once we learn to do that, what if we took it one step further and went out of our way to encourage someone else as a way of fighting that jealousy. What if our social media pages as believers were set apart from the world in that way?
I am learning that things that have a great capacity for hurt also have a great capacity to help.
I wanted to give up on social media. I was so focused on its negative impacts that I couldn't see how I could better use it to glorify God. Social media was controlling me, but after my long break, I now feel that I can use it as a tool to brighten someones' day.
Maybe you need to take an extended break from social media so that you can take back control of its influence on your thoughts and actions. Or maybe using some of my tips above will help you free up space and time to prioritize what is important. Either way, I hope that together we can brighten up the spaces we live in (both digitally and physically) and radiate the love of Christ.
all my love,
Abbey LeeAnn Masters
P.s. If any of this spoke to you in any way, please feel free to leave a comment and share this post on social media. Thanks again for your support and encouragement.
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