After the Gators suffered a crushing loss to Tennessee last week, I deleted all my social media so I wouldn't have to see the memes, hear the jeering or have to relive my heartbreak as the 11-year streak came to an end. After the first night of living in a social media void, I decided to see how it would feel to go a week without it. See if Social media was responsible for the kind of person I was, if my actions were propelled by my need for online validation and if my mindfulness would improve.

*Disclaimer: I have some friends who are very passionate about our Snapchat streaks so I did download it every day to send them one snap and keep it alive*

I found myself paying more attention to people when they were speaking to me, I noticed their facial expressions and how they changed as they experienced their different range of emotions. I heard the inflection change in their voice. I stopped listening for something witty to tweet about a conversation and really keyed into the conversation.

I found myself reading current events when I had downtime instead of trolling multiple different timelines. I didn't feel the need to put my location or bizarre circumstances up on Snapchat, while I feel like I missed out on some quality filters and apparently some killer twitter drama, with a few major life changing Instagram announcements.

I didn't feel the need to be involved and everyone screenshotted me and kept me in the loop anyway -- the hardest part was when it was dead at work and I'd already read about all the crimes committed in the area, in the United States, around the world etc...

I noticed I had a deep need for people to accept me, to validate that what I was doing was worth appreciating. My week of being without social media made me really appreciate my true and close friends and how they are involved in the good and the bad and the ugly of my life. They know the face under the perfectly winged eyeliner, they know what my hair looks like when I fall asleep with it wet and unbrushed, and they know that if I go missing for an hour I've either lost my phone or I'm at the gym.

This week helped me realize that so much of my time is cluttered up with the opinions of everyone around me, and trying to either shock everyone around you with an opinion or piss off everyone around you. It's silly really. I still managed to fight with my parents, still managed to show my friends and sister that time I got my eyeliner perfect, and I still kept in touch with the people that mattered.

While not on purpose, thankfully this hiatus coincided with the presidential debate and it kept me from having to read the bigoted and uninformed opinions or bickering of people who refuse to realize that everyone has an opinion, and each side has its merits. I also missed out on some quality memes, which my true friends sent to me.

As far as exercises in mindfulness go, I would recommend this to just about anyone. Because while I am back on social media, my outlook has changed. I use my voice to project positivity into the world, to get a laugh or two, to tell someone they look amazing, or to let someone know they are appreciated. I put my phone down when in the presence of another person, and give them my full attention because they deserve my attention more than someone through a phone screen (unless that person is you, mom). I've realized my worth is not dependent on how many likes I get, and I feel like if Gary Johnson had done this he would've known what Aleppo was.