When you walk down the street, everybody is absorbed in their cellular devices, iPads, Notes, etc. Social media such as Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook are all the rave, and no one is complaining about it, because its easy, accessible entertainment at the tips of your fingers.

What more is there to enjoy in life? I could easily name several things, but that would defeat the purpose of my ranting, now wouldn’t it?

The point is: there is more to life than the stories your friends post on snapchat, and why Kim K and Kanye got a divorce.

This may sound absurd, considering I have to post my stories to multiple platforms, but I recently went on a forty-day social media cleanse. This “cleanse” is exactly as it suggest; I can’t get on any of my social media for forty days (besides to advertise my stories).

I chose to go on this cleanse, simply because I was becoming immensely engrossed in what other people’s lives consisted of. I was ignoring facets of life that I had once appreciated, and I was losing my grip on what it meant to be…well, me.

I came to this striking realization when I was sitting in the living room watching a movie with my sister. She must’ve called my name at least twenty times before I finally responded to her, but I was so attached to what the world was saying that I ignored one of the people that truly gave a damn about me.

That’s when It hit me: social media, not necessarily technology, is almost addicting. Like an addiction, there are preventive measures to take before you can break it (hence my social media cleanse).

I am only a couple of weeks into the cleanse, but its affects are already evident in my everyday life. For instance, I wake up with a much clearer mind and am more focused.

Before the cleanse, when I’d wake up in the morning, my first go to was Snapchat, Instagram and Tumblr (in that order.) I would lay at least 20 minutes in my bed after my alarm went off, just scrolling and double tapping.

So, as you could imagine, the only thing I would truly think about in my classes was getting back on my phone. I was literally itching for it.

Now, when I wake up, I’ve returned to an old routine of mine; reading my Bible, thanking God for even giving me the breath, strength and energy to get up, I go to class, whether I detest it or not, and am engaged in what my professors are saying.

I appreciate the sun shining, the flowers blooming, the birds chirping, reading books, and other aspects of life I wouldn’t have noted if I was staring at my phone all day.

I’m not saying social media is bad. It grants us the ability to show the world which ever part of our lives we please, we get to connect with old friends, stay in touch with distant family members, etc. It is a rather interesting source of entertainment.

However, taking a break from the world inside your phone and enjoying the world around you can reap many benefits.