It has been almost 6 weeks since I have stopped going on social media, and at the same time I have incorporated lifestyle changes by waking up early, exercising 5x a week and reading more. For the first time in my life I feel like I am in control, that I actually have energy, and that I am productive. The real test is whether I can be consistent with all these changes, as in the past they have always been phases that inevitably end. But at 30 years old, I think I’m finally onto a winning formula.
The decision to give up social media created within me an internal conflict though, which no doubt stems from the well thought-out psychology of social media. I asked myself, well- how will I connect with people? How will people know what I am doing? And the more I thought about it, the more I concluded… I can connect with people in real life if there is a mutual desire to do so. Because the thing about social media is that you weave this web of connections with people from every season of your life- you see everything they get up to, and they see everything that you get up to- but would you actually stop to talk to them if you happened to run into them? For me, the answer was mostly no. So why should I be privy to the contents of their life, and why should they be privy to mine? It only fosters superficial connections. I wanted to get away from this passive consumption of other peoples lives that didn’t enrich my relationships.
And I’d say overall it has been a great decision. I wake up in the morning without scrolling through social media, and instead I draw the blinds up in the room and watch the sunrise; I read a few pages of a book (I’m finally reading again!); I drink a cup of tea; I unload the dishwasher, sometimes I exercise… all of this without feeling rushed, which sets the tone for the rest of my day.
What about this blog though? Does it count as social media? Well I guess the whole point of this blog was to have something to write my reflections in. And although it is accessible online, it’s not really something that people passively consume. You actually have to enter in the website URL to be able to read it. And I think the whole point of the blog is that people CAN read it if they want. But I write mainly for myself. It’s to document my thoughts and be able to read it again in the future. It is also for my loved ones. I know that life is short, that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. So not to sound morbid- but if anything were to happen to me… at least there would be this blog for my loved ones to read and know that I was mindful, grateful and content.
The Weekday Notes 