It’s been thirty whole days of no scrolling and no posting…Thirty days free from mindless wandering and constant Internet comparison… Thirty days without perfecting posts and waiting for likes. From January 1 to February 1, I unplugged from all things social media. Both humbled and rejuvenated, I’m officially ready to take on 2018. Takeaway1: Where my worth is found.My worth as a human being is not found in likes, in views, in comments, or in tags. My worth is not found in how many followers I get or friends that I have. My worth is not in how great my weekend adventures were or in the number of places I traveled this month. And my worth is not found in the 150-character bio or in the photos you scroll across under @izdavis4. You can take all of that away, and I am still me. Absolutely nothing changes. I’m a Christian. I’m an athlete. I’m an educator and a coach. I’m a lover of Lady Gaga and mac n’ cheese. I’m a girl who rarely says no to a dare and will take you up on any road trip. Over the past 30 days, none of me has changed—in fact, it’s made me realize my worth more than ever. | Takeaway 2: Memorizing MomentsThe first reaction I had when I realized I would be going back to social media after a 30-day fast was great….. another thing to add to the to-do list. It’s incredible the amount of time you get back when you’re not glued to a screen. But what is even more interesting is that without the countless hours on social media, I didn’t actually do MORE. I didn’t keep myself busier with things to do. Instead, I felt those moments more passionately. In January, I had a New Years kiss. I broke the tape for the first time in a race. I drove to California. I biked 60 miles in the desert. I carried on a 6-hr facetime conversation. But, what was different about these events was that I actually spent that time in the moment. I breathed in… I focused on my 5 senses. I smelled the air. I observed my surroundings. I listened to the sounds around me. Instead of trying to capture every bit of it on a screen, I memorized these moments and banked them. And I know I will remember January better than any other month this year. |
Takeaway 3: Connection
You can stay connected without apps. While I may not have been as plugged into people’s lives as I was prior to this month, I made an effort to call and text more… to keep those relationships going. It IS possible to have relationships outside of social media. You just have to work a little harder at them. So now what? The 30-day fast is over. And no, I’m not eradicating social media from my life. I enjoy editing photos. I enjoy staying in touch with old and new friends. I enjoy meeting new people, partaking in new experiences, and looking back on the moments and memories I’ve created over time. Two realistic goals I’m going to take with me moving forward are: 1) Decrease my story use and 2) Only use social media in the evening hours. These two goals will help me to memorize rather than capture moments. This will remind me to live in the NOW vs. capturing the now. |
It's time for the February fast: fasting from N E G A T I V I T Y.