“They said it couldn’t be done.” They – being a family member – told me it would be very difficult to divorce myself from looking at social media.
But a few weeks ago, I did it. It took a little courage, but I DID IT…cold turkey. I realized I had a lot more important things to do in my life, and it can be time consuming, especially if one gets sucked into it too often.
I got on my phone, and pressed on one of the apps hard, and it grew larger and asked me – should I share? Delete? Then it squiggled in protest with all my other apps and had the minus sign on the top right corner.
Delete!! Gone….at least for the forseeable future.
Another family member asked, what about “FOMO?” For those of you who don’t know FOMO, it’s Fear Of Missing Out. Sure, I won’t be able to see whose grandkids were born, or photos from one my friend’s trips abroad, but my brain feels like it’s done a Master Cleanse. And that’s totally OK by me.
The best news about my Social Media Master Cleanse is that I have slept like I haven’t slept in years…YEARS! The stuff they say about “no screen time before bed” is really true. And my ongoing Tinnitus has subsided, although still there but not as much ringing.
What am I doing with all of this extra time? Reading. Yes, really reading. And I’m reading books, and they’re real books! I choose magazines with what appear to be interesting headlines and articles. I’ve even taken a crack at coloring. The simple stuff, but perhaps it’s always who I was, not the me on Social Media who has admittedly, pretended life is just hunky-dory when maybe it hasn’t been.
As a result, I look forward to 9 a.m. every Sunday morning, when the Weekly Screen Report appears. This week, I’m proud to share – I was down 16%! The time though, still says I’ve been using my screen 3 hours and 49 minutes a day. In my defense, a lot of that is spent emailing from my phone – from inside my locked car – at a Thruway rest stop (with my coffee nearby). It’s become a fun challenge with some of my kids to see who drops and who increases.
So – even if you try it for a month, a week, or just a few days, see if saying “Adieu” to social media might be of benefit for you. Take the time to do something else that might bring you more productivity – or more joy – to your life. No one likes “FOMO,” but on the other hand, missing out on the real stuff in life may be more important.
P.S. Admittedly, I used social media to spread the word on this 😉
Now it’s over and out…until next time! Be well, friends. XXOO
Sink or Swim 