forty days and forty nights

After my post about the house, I wanted to back up and talk a little bit about where I've been for six weeks. On Ash Wednesday, I decided to take a break from social media to observe lent. Father S urged us to give up something that was enjoyable but did not allow us to lead a purposeful life. I was going to go the easy route and give up candy or chocolate or add something like working out, but once I got to thinking, I realized that I would do myself a bigger favor if I gave up something that took up a lot of my time: cue social media.

For lent, I ended up giving up facebook, instagram and pinterest and I found out some pretty interesting things.

1. Life went on. After the initial shock, I realized that my life went on and I didn't miss anything that social media offered in my life. Sure, some people texted me and asked where I was and what I had been doing, but for the most part, I found that people I didn't need to keep tabs with generally fell by the wayside, and it was okay. 
2. I became more productive. At school and at home, I was able to devote more time to things I wanted to do. I went to yoga more often, read five books and felt like I was balanced. 
3. I felt better. Oddly enough, I felt better about myself. I wasn't trying to compare myself to people I've never met. 
4. I was sensitive about phone usage. I found that I was really in a league by myself. I noticed people on their phones instead of having authentic conversation. I was bothered when someone would pull up their phone, talk while scrolling through instagram, one eye on the phone. I felt disconnected, or like people didn't want to have a conversation. It was an interesting feeling. People I liked and respected couldn't tear their eyes away for even a minute. 
5. I saw more around me. I noticed all sorts of things I wouldn't necessarily. I spent more quality time with people and engaged with people around me. It was nice to really remember what life was like without distraction!
6. I got into grad school! This isn't directly correlated, but it was still an exciting event that happened during my time off. 
7. I didn't have a need to tell the world my news. I told people close to me, kept my thoughts to myself, and really didn't have the urge to tell 500 of my closest friends that I got into grad school, planned a vacation, brushed my teeth, etc. 

When the time came to reengage with social media......

....I wasn't interested. 

I was underwhelmed with the people I follow and the lives they lead. With the exception of my good friends, I was able to really purge myself of toxicity I didn't know existed in my life. I don't have plans to be very active in social media, but I did miss tweeting the things my students say! I realized through this social experiment that I didn't need to be attached to my phone - in fact, I should take the advice from my friends that have it figured out - that its okay to leave it sitting around unattended. I will survive!