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I am about two weeks into my social media exit and I feel amazing. I’m not constantly checking my phone. I don’t feel like I have to take the perfect photos to post. I’m not worried what so and so will think about this or that. I don’t care what anyone thinks about political happenings. I am not carrying the burdens of the world which were never mine to carry to begin with. I have no idea what’s going in the world right now and it’s glorious. If there is something happening that I need to know about, my friends or family will let me know. I would get so worked up and let all these things steal my peace, joy and dopamine. I let it creep in while spending my precious time face to face with friends and family. What is so important on my phone that I have to constantly be checking it? Honestly, I feel so much calmer, peaceful and content. I’m occasionally bored which is awesome! I’ve read a lot which hasn’t happened for a while. The struggle to read more than 10 minutes without checking my phone was a real problem. Now, I can sit and read for hours. I’m planning on spending a lot of time reading this year, books are so much better than scrolling social media for my mind. I’ve also hauled out the puzzles again. Yes, they are the lettered or numbered puzzles because my brain can’t handle when you dump 1000 pieces on the table and say, ok put it together. That is so overwhelming to me but when it’s broken down into 6 smaller sections that are sorted, I can happily do a puzzle.
My next stop in the analog journey is to get a real watch again. Not an apple watch but a real watch that only tells me the time. I’ve noticed that I do check my phone for the time often because clocks have ceased to exist in public places. Which is so weird. Also I’ve noticed that most banks don’t have digital signs that tell us the temperature anymore. Weird I know but I kind of miss that.
A few days ago I had a phone call from a neighbor friend. It was unexpected and I loved it. She said, you mentioned in your facebook post you prefer phone calls so I decided to call you instead of a text. That meant so much to me. I do enjoy phone calls and I really don’t like texting. Again, let me hear the sound of your voice and the intonation of your words, your laughter and all the things a text can not communicate. The one form of social media I did keep was snap chat. Although I’m not sure that’s considered social media. Either way, the reason I love it is that not only do I get to hear someone’s voice and see their face, but also they can answer when it’s convenient for them. I usually talk with a few friends and family members everyday via snap chat and I love it!
There are a few friends I had on social media that I miss seeing and chatting with. I did enjoy sharing recipes, diy projects or some occasional purchases that I found on sale because I also enjoyed when people shared those things. I really miss the early stages of blogging, back in the day it was so fun! I loved how we formed these online friendships through mutual shared interests, we would all comment on each other’s posts and think of fun things to do together online, sharing each other’s posts and DIY projects. Social media has had some fun benefits but it’s definitely evolved. At this point, my blog is basically my online journal and I’m ok if no one reads this but me. I always enjoy looking back at my blog posts regarding the different seasons of my life and what I’ve captured on virtual paper. Typing is so much faster for me as my mind goes 1000 miles an hour.
Maybe I’ll change my mind later this year but so far, I’m loving my analog year. Some people might think I’m avoiding life but I’m actually out here living it. The amount of time I was spending on my phone was ridiculous and for what? I would more often than not walk away feeling angry, numb or anxious. I don’t really recall a time of setting down my phone and thinking, man I am so glad I spent all that time scrolling, I feel so happy, energized, and hopeful.
For me personally, social media has not provided a benefit in my life lately and has honestly been a drain. If you’re feeling some of these same things, maybe take a break and remove social media off your phone for a few weeks and see how you feel. It might not be the cure for everyone but usually, everything works better if you turn it off for a bit.
