Goodbye to the endless scroll…
This was quite a challenge. I decided for Lent this year that I would get off IG and FB. The first 2 weeks felt like a detox of sorts. I would pick up my phone out of habit to scroll and since I was off social media, I would think of other things to do like scroll through Amazon sales or search random things on Pinterest. I knew it was kind of a work around to fill that scrolling time and it wasn’t really helping my cause so I stopped doing that as well.
By week 2 I started to feel released from the urge or habit to scroll on my phone. I started filling that time with other things like texting or calling a friend, reading, listening to music or an audio book, journaling, cleaning, walking, praying, thinking about something significant. (Check out the Journal app from Apple, it has prompted questions which was more interesting than starting with a blank page).
My time away from the endless scroll of social media gave me time away from other things like comparison, envy, jealousy, self loathing, self-consciousness, insecurity, and more. I was more at peace, happier. My relationship with social media over the years has formed into something that brings me down and messes with my mental health, that’s just how it’s been for me. I missed seeing updates from friends and family, but at the same time, I felt there was more space in my world for me. I stopped filling my world with everyone else’s experiences and news and opened myself up to my own world. What day did I want to create? What activity did I want to fill my time with? If you have a personality like mine (enneagram 9) you’ll probably understand what I mean.
Lent is over, Easter has come and gone and I’m not ready to go back. I’m happy. I’m more connected to the people I love and care about. I’m more intentional with my time. My mind is full of the things I’ve chosen to put into it rather than what I’ve ended up scrolling through. The challenge was definitely worth it. I’ll be on the socials, but definitely not as much and I’m not at all sad about that.
