Life Without Facebook: 40 Days Away From the Desert
For many years now, I have participated in the ancient Christian tradition of undertaking a partial fast during the season of Lent. What this has usually meant for me is giving up some food item; 40 days without chocolate or 40 days without soda, things like that. Those fasts have certainly had their challenges, especially the 40 days without soda. It is amazing just how many restaurants only have soda as the only drink option besides water, especially for someone who doesn't really like coffee or tea. This year I continued with my Lenten soda fast, partly because it is even more challenging here at seminary in the dining hall (we have soda fountains that are open every meal, it is very tempting), but also because I know it is a healthy habit that I need to reenforce.
However, I also knew that I wanted to undertake a fast that would not only be healthy for my body, but also for my soul. So, I decided (after a long evening scrolling through my Facebook timeline) to fast from all social media during Lent. This meant that I would not use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other similar services from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday. I posted a short note on my Facebook wall, turned off all the notifications from all my services, and logged off.
At first, I wasn't sure how easy it would be. It was amazing how strong my habit of spending 20 minutes each night scrolling through Twitter and Instagram had become. I felt like I needed to look at my phone before I could sleep, as if I were missing part of my routine if I didn't, which, I was. But, it didn't take long for that desire to wane. I soon found even greater pleasure in spending time reading and talking on the phone with my fiancé and family.
To be brutally honest, it was surprising how easy it has been to pull the plug. The best thing I did was turn off the constant notifications, the message every time someone did anything, that reminder that I was missing something; because, really, I wasn't. Sure, there were things that happened that I didn't hear about, a movie night or two that I didn't go to, a photo of the latest cute thing that I didn't chuckle over. But while I was "missing" the cat pictures and jokes, I gained so very much.
To start with, I gained time. I was spending close to an hour or more a day on social media sites. Between checking Facebook, scrolling on Twitter, scanning on Instagram, and more, I was just dumping time every day. On top of it, I justified it as "stress relief" - as a way to make life a little more fun, but really it was eating up my day. I still had to get all my work done for classes, I still had to go to work, so what was getting cut so I could "stay in touch with my friends around the world"? Time with my friends here, time for myself to relax and read a book for me, time to talk on the phone with family and friends. So, by cutting the hour or so a day I was reading about other peoples lives, I used it instead to live my own.
Do I suddenly have hours of free-time I don't know what to do with? Am I always bored without social media? No. My life is still busy, I still have more to do than hours in the day. But, at the end of most days I feel much more fulfilled. Sure, maybe I didn't hear about the genuinely exciting thing that happened in a friend's life in California, but I did spend an hour or two hanging out with friends here at PTS - and to be honest, that is something I wouldn't trade all the kitten photos in the world for.
The other huge thing I gained was a decrease in stress. So many times, I felt like this:
Even if I wouldn't comment on a ridiculous post, I would feel stressed out by it. I realized that all of the political rants and the hateful responses were not only not helping the situation, they were causing me to lose sleep. I know, to a certain degree, that just avoiding the arguments is a bit like putting my head in the sand, but I'm ok with that. I still have heated discussions, they are just in person - and amazingly enough when you are talking in person, people are not only less likely to call you horrible names, but they are also more likely to actually listen to what you have to say.
In the end, I am so grateful that I cut the cord on social media for Lent. I will make some use of it going forward, after all there are a host of good reasons for Facebook and the like [for example, you probably found out about this article from social media!], but I am glad that I took the serious time to break a serious addiction.
For me, social media had become a desert - a vast, lonely place that wasn't life giving. If that feels, even a little bit, familiar, I would encourage you to consider taking some time to leave the desert for a while. Step into the lush, beautiful, exciting world of the real. Trust me, it's worth it!
Until we meet again, Peace.