Today is the day. At 7 a.m. on this lovely Friday, I am headed out to go camping with my mom and two other women. I won't lie. I am super nervous about not having my phone for the weekend. But I am also very excited to unplug and rest.

Since quarantine and the social distancing recommendation were put in place in March, my screen time has gone up significantly on my phone. This is one thing I pride myself in typically caring so little about. During school semesters, I am so busy that I hardly notice the social media presence, and my lack thereof.

To be honest, I had not checked Twitter before last week in at least two years.

This is not to say that I do not care about social media or the news, and it certainly is not to preface some idea that I have no opinion about the things happening in the world. However, I do believe that social media has the ability to personally impact my mood and self-confidence in drastic ways.

The effect can be positive or negative, but I prefer to go with no effect than to have to handle the hot mess that follows a drop in my levels of self-care and confidence. I am ready to put the technology down and spend an extended period of time reading my books and hiking outdoors.

Before this camping trip, we, my mom and I, needed to be prepared.

My most recent article before this was about the art of list-making. So preparing for this trip actually brought me a sense of fulfillment and peace. I am a little skeptical of the camp cooking, but I am looking forward to trying something new. I am also looking forward to the loosely-made itinerary.

I love spending time outside doing all sorts of activities, but two of my all time favorites are hiking and kayaking. And we are doing just those things this weekend. I like the genuine conversation that comes with stepping away from the world for a minute to talk about things that matter to your friends and family. Not only is this a great way to get to know someone, but it holds you accountable for creating deeper relationships with the people you care about. A little bit of time and effort can go a long way.

Finally, I am looking forward to spending time with my mom.

She is my best friend, and getting to give her the chance to take a break is more rewarding than taking a break for myself. I can't wait to see how her hard work preparing "hobo" meals (tinfoil pre-wrapped mixtures of veggies and meat to be cooked) comes to fruition.

She puts her whole heart into everything she does to show how much she cares about each and every person around her. I admire that she can set everything down and just be for a moment with the ones she loves. In a busy world, it is hard to find the peace that she carries with her.

I will be writing an update next week :)

-Gracie Bug <3