I took a social media app off my phone last month...
Why would I do that?
Because i'm tired...and it's really my own fault...
I was tired of reading updates like a zombie...while I certainly enjoy keeping up with dear friends...unfortunately I had allowed my news feed to be overwhelmed by so much more than that..
Last year during election season I went through and changed all of my settings so I would not have to be bombarded with all of the negative talk that, unfortunately, so many people were spewing out...I just couldn't look at it anymore...
So, I just moved anything negative out of sight...out of sight out of mind...
(but that's not REALLY true is it? out of sight isn't REALLY out of mind)
So in the last year I upped my news feed to only carry motivational websites, or things that inspired me. I honestly get a lot of information from groups I have joined and have learned a great deal about autoimmune disease. For this, I am very grateful.(There is an upside!)
But somehow the negative still gets in. Especially when we allow it. So, I took another baby step. I took the app off my phone. The hope was that it just won't bombard me all day long. 24/7... Here is what happened, so far....
1. People disappeared...The first weird thing is that it wiped out half of my phone contacts. Which is fine. I didn't actually use them. But it also forced me to look at my contacts and make sure I actually knew whose phone number was whose. Some of my contacts where directly linked to this app. NOT SMART!...once a little embarrassing texting of "who is this?" and whatnot was taken care of...all was well in the world.
2. A real phone....Another thing this brought to my attention, is that once certain social media apps were off my phone...i didn't actually use my phone much at all...seriously....my phone, became an actual PHONE....GASP!...i know, weird huh?
3. My world became smaller... when I DO use my phone, it is only for keeping in touch with a very small group of people. (my very closest of friends and family, which is approximately 10, maybe 15 people...) which, call me crazy...is really all a person needs to keep in touch with 24/7...and even then, i'm not so sure...
4.Conversations became real again....the same thing happened when we stopped using cable....we, in fact haven't had cable t.v. in 6 years (?) the first thing i noticed is just how much people talk about the commercials or shows they watched. It became very clear jut how little people actually had real conversations about actual life and how much people escaped into their t.v.'s....once we no longer had cable, i realized that some people didn't know how to have a real conversation...it was very surreal...the same thing has happened again once i took social media off the phone. now, instead of talking about what show they watched or the commercial they enjoyed, people talk about what other people post...sometimes it is informative...and i do appreciate that aspect...but sometimes it is just another form of escapism...
5. I was able to think: being bombarded all the time with updates and such was just squelching my creativity and overwhelming my circuits. That's just how I am. I can only take in so much "stuff" and then i need time to process and sort and create....if i am in constant "input" mode i rarely am able to create which is "output" mode for me...
conclusion:
just like anything else...it's about balance, i suppose....we live in a time where social media is just what people use to communicate...but sometimes, we need to pull our head up from the screen, look around, get some fresh air, clear our minds, and breathe....
Why would I do that?
Because i'm tired...and it's really my own fault...
I was tired of reading updates like a zombie...while I certainly enjoy keeping up with dear friends...unfortunately I had allowed my news feed to be overwhelmed by so much more than that..
Last year during election season I went through and changed all of my settings so I would not have to be bombarded with all of the negative talk that, unfortunately, so many people were spewing out...I just couldn't look at it anymore...
So, I just moved anything negative out of sight...out of sight out of mind...
(but that's not REALLY true is it? out of sight isn't REALLY out of mind)
So in the last year I upped my news feed to only carry motivational websites, or things that inspired me. I honestly get a lot of information from groups I have joined and have learned a great deal about autoimmune disease. For this, I am very grateful.(There is an upside!)
But somehow the negative still gets in. Especially when we allow it. So, I took another baby step. I took the app off my phone. The hope was that it just won't bombard me all day long. 24/7... Here is what happened, so far....
2. A real phone....Another thing this brought to my attention, is that once certain social media apps were off my phone...i didn't actually use my phone much at all...seriously....my phone, became an actual PHONE....GASP!...i know, weird huh?
3. My world became smaller... when I DO use my phone, it is only for keeping in touch with a very small group of people. (my very closest of friends and family, which is approximately 10, maybe 15 people...) which, call me crazy...is really all a person needs to keep in touch with 24/7...and even then, i'm not so sure...
4.Conversations became real again....the same thing happened when we stopped using cable....we, in fact haven't had cable t.v. in 6 years (?) the first thing i noticed is just how much people talk about the commercials or shows they watched. It became very clear jut how little people actually had real conversations about actual life and how much people escaped into their t.v.'s....once we no longer had cable, i realized that some people didn't know how to have a real conversation...it was very surreal...the same thing has happened again once i took social media off the phone. now, instead of talking about what show they watched or the commercial they enjoyed, people talk about what other people post...sometimes it is informative...and i do appreciate that aspect...but sometimes it is just another form of escapism...
5. I was able to think: being bombarded all the time with updates and such was just squelching my creativity and overwhelming my circuits. That's just how I am. I can only take in so much "stuff" and then i need time to process and sort and create....if i am in constant "input" mode i rarely am able to create which is "output" mode for me...
conclusion:
just like anything else...it's about balance, i suppose....we live in a time where social media is just what people use to communicate...but sometimes, we need to pull our head up from the screen, look around, get some fresh air, clear our minds, and breathe....
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