Social media. It's everywhere. We use social media to connect with people. We keep up with family and friends on Facebook by posting photos and status updates. We research companies and brands through their Instagram pages. We use social media just to keep up with everyone's lives.
Social media is such a huge aspect of our lives, it's hard to imagine life without it. Honestly, it's kind of sad. I knew that I wanted to do a social media "cleanse" for Lent when I realized this fact.
Social media was such a huge part of my everyday schedule, and it was distracting me from so many other aspects of my life. Any free second I had, I would pick up my phone and scroll through my Instagram feed or my Snapchat stories. If I got a notification, I would most likely immediately respond, which was often. I used my phone so much that I realized I was missing out on so many other things sitting right in front of me.
Lent began and it was easy at first honestly. I was so excited to put my phone down and be more aware of my surroundings. I found that I was never on my phone anymore, and when I was working, my focus was laser. Instead of heading to my phone as soon as I sat down in class, I socialized with my classmates sitting around me. At night, I fell asleep faster because I didn't have a feed to scroll through. My days were so much more productive.
The one downside to not having any social media was that I lost contact with a lot of people. Some people I only interacted with on social media, so without it, we didn't contact one another. I missed talking to certain people at times.
Other than that, my social media "cleanse" has been eye opening. I feel more productive during the day and more connected to people around me. I've realized that I don't need social media to keep relationships or make me happy. I actually may have been happier during these 6 weeks without social media.
Lent ends this Sunday, on Easter, and I am excited to reconnect with people. But, I am sure that my social media usage won't be as much as before, especially now that I know it is more productive to be without it.
If you feel that social media is consuming your life at times, take a break from it. There's nothing wrong with taking a day, a week, or a month without social media. You won't miss much, I can promise you that.
