I went an entire week without using social media, and I found that it's not only great to detoxicate myself from it—it's important. Yes, I said it. There is such a thing as "too much technology." A few days prior to deciding to do without it, I thought I was going to die. I really thought I would break it or cave-in to scrolling through a few posts. I didn't realize my phone addiction was so real. I would constantly check my phone every other minute for a notification even though I didn't hear one, scroll through posts I had already seen, and I would always want to know what was going on in other people's lives. However, it wasn't until the first day that I realized all of those things were true.
Throughout my first day, I constantly would grab my phone as soon as I heard an alert tone, and as soon as I did, I would have to be like, "Oh, wait... I can't." And it took me at least three or four days to break the grabbing of my phone every minute. I found myself having way more time to do other tasks, and I felt bored with all of my extra time because I didn't have that filler of time.
The second day, although, was way easier than the first. I found myself not feeling the need to check every post, news story, or funny video. I found that the need to do that didn't feel relaxing but stressful. The third and fourth day became easier as well, and through not being on social media, I found myself utilizing that extra time to do other things I wanted to, things I care more about like spending time with family or with friends, relaxing through another hobby that I would usually forget about because of my constant need for social media, etc.
The rest of the week was truly peaceful. I didn't feel stressed or constantly worried about what was going on everywhere else, and I had no desire to fill up two or three hours of my day with the business of the world. I actually found peace in sitting and relaxing without having that on my mind. For our culture today, stopping to breathe, think, or relax is difficult. We have consumed our lives with the technology of today. We don't want to wait. We don't want to stop. But it's important for us to do this for ourselves to reenergize or "get away" without having to actually leave somewhere. If you feel consumed by this, I encourage you to spend some time away from the devices, away from the things that take you away from peace. Take some time to look up and see what's going on around you and not just through pictures, videos, or posts. Spend some time with family or friends. Don't let technology overtake you. I hope this encourages you to do what I did, for it truly has helped me not make my device the center of my life.
