Ten days ago, President Russel M. Nelson asked the women of my church to participate in a 10-day social media fast. Previous to his invitation, I had been pondering about how I could better organize and limit my time on social media, and often thought of deleting my accounts altogether. It was very tempting. So I was excited when President Nelson issued the invitation.
I jumped online one last time that night before going dark. There were some who were “saying goodbye” to their followers and, of course, there were many who were mocking and calling us “sheep.” But what surprised me were the ones who thought it to be a thing of naught. In other words, they didn’t think it was that important, or that hard, so why even do it? Like the leper who only had to bathe in the river Jordan seven times to be healed. He thought it was too simple.
When the prophet asks us to do something, I know there is a great purpose behind it, whether it is great or simple.
I decided to be all in. And here are a few things I learned.
- I had a bad habit. I definitely didn’t have an addiction. There were no withdrawals or longing to be online. But I would subconsciously pull out my phone and go straight to where the apps had been. That is a habit I would love to break.
- I had so much more time. We all know that scrolling social media can be such a time waster. We get on to check a couple of things, and end up getting sucked into a rabbit hole of endless scrolling. I had so much more time to read and ponder and listen and do things that actually matter.
- Real friends vs. online friends. It’s easy to keep up on people you see on Instagram and Facebook every day. But once that person removes themselves from being so easily accessible, the people who really care about you show up.
- Intentional posting. As I went through my 10 days, I often found myself thinking about what I would post if I were online and why I wanted to post it. Was it so others could see how creative I was? Was it to share something uplifting? Was it to record memories? These are some of the questions I’ll be asking myself from now on.
- Social Media isn’t the only distraction. If you allow yourself to be distracted, you will be. As I mentioned, I had a bad habit of going straight to my social media apps. When they weren’t there, I would instead go to my news app, or to my online shopping apps. I think a major point of this invitation is to be more mindful of how you are spending your time.
- The world keeps spinning. Many of us don’t want to miss out on what is happening in the lives of our friends and family. But in reality, I didn’t miss a thing. Probably 75% of the people I follow are acquaintances or old friends at best. Those people who are a part of my life now and vice versa don’t need social media to stay in touch.
- My relationship with God improved. I try to get a little better at this every day, but when I accepted this invitation and removed these distractions, the difference was huge.
- I was more mindful. I was more focused on everything I did from talking with my children to reading the scriptures, etc.
- What we choose to do in the quiet moments matter. When you find yourself with some down time or even a couple of minutes to sit (I know it’s rare, right?) what do you do? Are you looking at Facebook or the Book of Mormon?
- Social Media isn’t the enemy. One thought I struggle with often is if I should delete social media for good so I can make better use of my time. Then I think about how President Nelson also asks us to stand out and be a light and leader to others. One of the best ways to do that is through social media. We need to prioritize our time in doing good things, so there’s more time to do better things. Distraction is the enemy.
If you haven’t accepted the invitation to do a social media fast, I highly suggest you do it. It’s not too late. President Nelson not only asked us to fast from social media, but also from “any other media that bring negative and impure thoughts to your mind.” Beside these ten things that I shared with you here, there were many other more personal things I have learned and felt that I will never forget.
If you have accepted the challenge, I would love to hear your thoughts. What things did you notice or learn? Leave me a comment or send me a message.
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One Response
Your ten things are very similar to mine! One thing I would add is that I slept better- here’s why: sometimes I post something, then I go to sleep and for whatever reason wake up with anxiety about what I said or who may have commented. I was able to just rest, no weird anxiety. Also, I went to a mid-single adult conference during the fast. I didn’t have my phone to turn tonduring awkward moments (I didn’t know ANYONE.) I had to push through, leave my phone in my purse and make friends with the people that were there and were around me. My mom was shocked that I didn’t take any pictures all weekend. I didn’t feel the need to share on my space in social media, I just felt the need to talk to people and enjoy the moment. It definitely helped me live in the moment. On day 8, without really thinking about it, I popped one Grey’s Anatomy, a show I have watched for 14 years. Would you believe that as a result of this fast, my spirit was more sensitive to the casual sex etc that is a main part of the show? It had never bothered me before, or made me wince. In just 8 days, I had the spirit with me in a different way than I usually do.