Part Two of a Two-Part Article
Last week, I talked about the importance of a realistic mindset and achieving balance when on social media. These are important, because there are some legitimately dangerous outcomes that can happen when people stop remembering that social media doesn’t necessarily represent real life and start comparing their own lives to what they see on the screen.
This past week, I tried to achieve a little balance of my own. Thanks to a little inspiration from Scare Your Soul, a “courage movement,” I decided to attempt their digital detox. It’s their first week’s challenge (which tells us how many of us need to put down the screens). What I liked about the approach was that it starts with simply disengaging from social media for one night after 5 pm. I can do anything for one night, right?
So I did it.
Once I worked through my initial 10 minutes of worry (the what if’s were in full force), I loved the freedom to do other things. I started cleaning out my basement, hung out with my kids, read the newspaper, folded laundry while watching a funny show. Rather than worry about what I was missing out on (let’s face it, nothing), I got so much more done than I could’ve imagined. And I was happier, truly happier because I was free to do what I wanted to do. My dog, Giggsy, was also happier, because I paid more attention to him, and that’s just always a good thing.
I’m going to continue with this detox in my attempt to achieve balance. I think this will allow me to enjoy the many positive aspects of social media while not falling into its pitfalls. I even suggested it to my kids, but I didn’t get any takers — yet.
What about you? Are you willing to put it down for one night? Tell me about it!
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