A social media fast...

My hubby is not on social media... I added his name to my Facebook and Instagram accounts so that people can get in touch with him if they want to, but he absolutely never gets on.  He hates social media.  He thinks it's "a bunch of time wasted on garbage... unless it's your family," and he "(doesn't) need to hear if someone is taking a crap," (speaking of the people who post 100 times a day on every little aspect of their lives.)  He has some good points.  There are definitely good and bad things about social media.

The good?  I like seeing pictures of my family who don't live close and hearing what is going on in their lives.  I like to see what my kids are up to when they are not home.  I like to read articles of interest to me, like articles about MS from the National MS Society and MS Lifelines, or watch quick and simple recipes being made on Buzzfeed Tasty.  I like to read uplifting quotes and even look at cute, funny videos of adorable baby animals sometimes.

My hubby for some reason thinks I am on social media all the time, (I think he forgets that my kindle is also on my phone... as is my favorite game right now... "word cookie", pinterest, my email, my scriptures and my photographs which I absolutely LOVE looking at, just to name a few things), so when we watched the prophets devotional a few weeks ago and he issued the challenge to the youth to take a seven day fast from social media, (or as he said... take a break from the fake), Mike pretty much turned to me, laughed, and bet me I couldn't do it.

First, don't ever tell me I can't do something because I am VERY stubborn and will do it just to prove you wrong.  (Ask my mum who told me there was no way I could complete the 50 mile hike with the scouts because I had to drive the car to the end of the street just to return a video.)  Second, I'm genuinely not in to social media like he thinks I am so it just isn't as terribly hard as he thinks to give it up for a week.

I only have two social media apps... Facebook and Instagram.  I don't have Snapchat, Twitter or any others on my phone.  To stop me from accidentally opening them, I put both of the apps on my third page of apps in a folder called "Social Media Fast."  Here are a few things I learned that week:

• I frequently open social media out of habit, just because I'm waiting on something or don't have something planned or feel bored.

The very first day I noticed that if I had free time or was sitting waiting for something or someone, I would automatically pick up my phone and go to open Facebook or Instagram.  Why?  This was a habit that I was able to break fast and that I will not allow myself to get in to again.

• I enjoy experiences more when I'm not worried about getting the perfect picture to post or the perfect quote to share.

I sincerely enjoyed being in the moment and not worrying about other people knowing what I was doing.  I did things for me and my family and not to impress anyone else.  I didn't waste any of my time that week interrupting the experiences I was having wondering how I should post it... I just lived in the present with the people I love and I was MUCH more focused on them!

• I had more free time.  

I learned that all the little spurts of time I spend having a "quick check-in" add up to more time than I was aware.  I spent more time thinking about how I could serve people around me, reading my scriptures, doing things I enjoyed like reading a book, sitting on the swing with my hubby and talking to him or playing games together.  I used my brain more and actually tried the lost art of just sitting and "thinking." 

• I realized how often I lose sight of the false reality that social media can create in my head.  

Social media can cause me to compare my worst experiences or problems with other people's "highlight reels."  Instead of looking to see what other people were doing or if things I posted were getting "likes", I found myself reaching out more to REAL people in REAL time and actually talking to people more.  I visited neighbors and family a couple of times, I texted people I hadn't spoken to in a while. I was more present in my own home with my family. 

• I was happier and much more calm!

I truly was.  I didn't get frustrated by keyboard warriors or passive-aggressive cries for attention. I didn't think about what I might be missing out on or worry about what people were thinking about me... I was genuinely less depressed and noticeably felt more gratitude through the week for the blessings in my life and the real people who take the time to check in with me and genuinely care.

I'm not saying there isn't a time and place for social media.  I missed being able to check out events and pages I am part of.  I missed seeing what was going on in the lives of people I honestly do care about. I missed laughing at things my kids tag me in that they know I'll find funny.  However, one of the best things I have ever heard about social media is that we should treat it more like dessert than the main course.  Most of us love dessert but it doesn't mean we should eat it all day long.  That's the perspective I hope to keep about me when it comes to social media going forward, and maybe a week off of it every month or a weekly "day of rest" isn't a bad idea to help me out with that either.   

What do you do to control your social media instead of letting it control you?