In the beginning of January, I went to get coffee with one of my good friends. As we discussed numerous things about our lives, we both mentioned how seeing certain things on social media distracted us or upset us. So, we decided that we would start our social media cleanse the following day and would not go back on for four weeks unless we needed to for work/school related cases. In my plan, I gave up Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest since these were the biggest apps I fell victim to. The following is what happened when I was not on social media for four weeks:
I went nuts:
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Ok, so I really only went nuts for the first few days or so. I did not realize how much of my time I invested into my apps until I was laying in bed groaning while holding my phone in my hand because I didn't know what to do with it. Luckily I was smart enough to delete the apps, but the struggle was real. Personally, this was sad to me to see how consumed I was by these apps.
I invested more time into my relationship with God:
I had a strong relationship with God prior to this, but I can certainly say I have an even stronger relationship with Him after this experience. Instead of starting my day by scrolling through Twitter, I started my day with the Bible. I also discovered there are daily devotionals and plans you can follow on the Bible App, so I decided to invest my time into them.
I became happier:
I know this sounds poor, but I based a lot of my emotions on what I saw on social media. This is the main reason why I felt I needed to give up social media for a while. I would see things posted on Instagram or Snapchat, and I would get angry and work myself up for no reason. Almost immediately, I felt more at peace and happier when I was not looking at social media.
I had conversations I never thought I would have:
I will admit, I am not one to actually say exactly how I am feeling too often, or confront others. However, sometimes God finally gives you the strength to do certain things. One of the most important friendships I have had been bothering me for months due to our lack of communication. Ironic for a communications major, right? I knew I did not want to lose this friendship, and I knew I had to say something because nothing gets fixed if you just sit in silence and hope for the best. Because God gave me the strength to say what was on my heart, my friend and I were able to work things out and things are great!
I got to experience new opportunities:
I had the opportunity to go to Penn State for a regional conference, and I had the best time ever. While I enjoyed networking and learning, my absolute favorite part was attending Jennifer Bullano's "The Ultimate Goal" session about her experiences working for the Pittsburgh Penguins. On campus, I got to experience waking up to my residence hall reeking of horrid smoke at 1:30 in the morning and standing outside in my t-shirt and shorts in the middle of January. Aside from attending a regional conference with my school's public relations chapter and inhaling smoke, I was honored with the surprise opportunity to attend an awards ceremony with the chapter where we were awarded Chapter of the Year. We also ate delicious food, which is also important.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time away from social media. It is my goal to not become consumed by social media and to maintain all the greatness I have achieved. I definitely recommend taking some time away from social media to anyone interested in doing so. And even if you decide to not take an extensive break from social media, there are still ways you can take a break. Instead of tweeting at the dinner table, put down your phone and talk with your family or friends. Instead of snapchatting every moment of your life, take in your surroundings minus the phone. Life is too short to only remember that meme you saw on Facebook. Expose yourself to the world around you, and live your life while you can.
