Unplugged: Post Social Media Fast

I've always been told that it takes 21 days to make or break a habit, and this year I was able to test that theory. At the beginning of the year I decided to participate in a fast to start my year off right. If you give God your first and give Him your best - He'll bless the rest. My fast consisted of a 16 hour food fast, no chicken for the duration of the 21 days, and no social media. I will admit that at first I was skeptical as to whether or not I would be able to complete my fast due to the deep love I have towards both of these, but I made it through! Initially I thought that it would be harder for me to give up social media, but turns out I was more hurt over not being able to eat chicken. Don't get me wrong, I felt like I was missing out at the beginning of the year when Chris Brown and Soulja Boy decided to have a feud on social media also when I was unable to see how Twitter blew up when Trump was inaugurated ...but let's be honest, how is this really affecting my life? I learned some very valuable lessons from going without social media, but I also realized that there are some occasions that are more enjoyable when you can join your social family. The following are a few things I learned from break on social media:

Prayer and the Bible are key. During my fast I started every day by first praying and reading my Bible, typically I would wake up and scroll aimlessly through various social media apps to see what I missed out on for the few hours that I was sleep. Starting my day off with devotion allowed me to hear a word from God, opposed to reading a tweet from someone with a lop sided point of view of the world. I had a heart full of thankfulness after reading what God does for me on a daily basis.

Social media is only as good as you make it. Don't get me wrong there were various occasions that I wanted to participate in social media. At the beginning of the year people tend to be more involved on social media, for the simple fact that everyone wants to show off how they are "new people" in this new year. However, I realized that sometimes we can get caught up in showing off - instead of making moves. I also learned social media can keep you up to date on world events, that you might have not have other wise heard about. But you have to make sure that you are always getting your news from other sources as well. I found that there are different ways to stay connected, without actually being connected. 

People assume you stay connected. I can't tell you how many times my friends would tell me something, assuming I already knew what they were referring to. I came to learn that we often reference memes that have been circulating around Twitter or the discuss who from our hometown announced their pregnancy on Facebook as if it is common knowledge. People talk to you about it as if they were at the event while it was happening. Social media has maneuvered its way into our lives and doesn't seem to be going anywhere.

Finally ...

There's life outside of social media. I often found myself wanting to show off what I was doing to Snapchat or wanting to drop a lyric from a song on Twitter, however after a while that feeling began to fade. Don't get me wrong, it took a while ...basically until day 18 before this feeling faded, but I finally began to realize that I could do things without having to make an announcement to social media. Feeling the freedom of being able to live life without being tied to my phone was liberating. When I had a moment of free time I wasn't immediately picking up my phone and scrolling through apps, I enjoyed the people I was around instead.

Now don't get me wrong ...being back on social media has been cool and all. I won't say that after my fast, I decided to give up my social media for life. Haha. But now I use it when I feel it is necessary opposed to at every moment of my day. I've found other ways to make connections with people, rather than just relying on my timeline to keep me entertained. Giving up social media liberated me some, allowed me to enjoy life more and not just to document it. I challenge you to give it up for some time ...start with a day, then maybe a week. Who knows, you might find out that you enjoy life a little more without it.

May you always do what you fear.