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W h at i s i t l i ke to go
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During these past three weeks, I
learned so much about myself, social media,
and the effect it has upon people. This is an
experiment that I definitely recommend for
everyone to try, and to turn into a regular habit
to unplug every now and then, to be able to
enjoy life in a healthy way.
3 w eeks
w i th ou t
Soci al Medi a
Story and Art by Sammy C.
In actuality we live in such a fast-paced
world centered around social media; and, even
though it is only a tool, its use is what
determines whether it is a good or bad thing in
our lives. After being seven years connected to
social media without taking a long break away
from it, I found myself in an unhealthy condition
focusing more on other people?s lives rather
than my own. This made me decide to take a
three-week break from it, deleting all social
media apps from all my devices. Fortunately,
through this experiment I obtained all positive,
and no negative, results, and I?m about to share
them with you.
- I had no chance to compare myself
to others.This is something that I struggle a lot
with. I used to compare myself not only to how
other girls look (thinking they are prettier,
skinnier, and better than me), but also to what
others are doing (traveling, graduating, and
accomplishing projects), which made me feel
like I was doing less than them. Not being able
to compare myself to others made me
appreciate my own beauty and my own
accomplishments.
- I was able to organize my priorities.
A common and popular instinct of the modern
world is to check our emails, news, and social
media right after we wake up. Without the
chance to do this, I was able to concentrate on
what was the first thing that I did in my day,
which I decided to be to read my devotionals.
This gave me the chance to reconnect with God
and to prepare for the rest of my day filled with
God?s word.
- I had more time to be productive.
One of the most stressful things for me is to feel
like I?m not being productive or like I did not
accomplish something every day. The time I
used to waste on social media was now used
for completing tasks and filling my day with
productive thoughts and actions.
- I did not fall in any bandwagons.
Unconsciously, we are constantly drawn
towards following popular trends, either in
clothing, vocabulary, or even emotions. These
types of trends make us want to fit in, which
makes us lose our true essence and what
makes us ourselves. During these three
weeks, I chose what I wore based on my own
personal taste, not what someone else wore or
inspired me to wear. Also, I was able to shake
off all of those contagious depressive emotions
that have been increasingly shared on social
media this year.
- I was 100% conscious about
myself. Even though there are tough times,
not having access to social media forced me
to face my problems instead of running away
from them by distracting myself on an app.
Also, I not only was aware of my activities but
also of my goals including something so
simple such as my water intake, which
improved, and I was finally able to accomplish
one of my most awaited goals.
Once I completed my three-week break,
I went back and downloaded the apps I had
deleted. The first thing I did was to delete and
unfollow all of the people that I was comparing
myself to and those who did not contribute
anything beneficial for my mind and life. Then I
analyzed my posts, deleted whatever wasn't
necessary to be posted, and committed myself
to a new fresh start. After doing that, I honestly
don?t feel the necessity to distract myself with
other people and their lives. Now, every time I
enter one of those apps, it only takes me five
minutes to check what my friends have
shared, and after that, there is not much else
to do. I personally don?t want to go back to
where I was before my break because I
learned how dangerous it can be.
Here are some things that I want all
of us to remember:
- Social media is not bad, it actually is a quite
useful medium of communication. However, it
requires being used wisely; if not, it can lead to
a self-destructive state.
- Nothing should ever take up the first place in
our lives other than God. Our relationship with
Him must always be our #1 priority.
- Just because something is popular or trendy,
and everyone else is doing it, it does not mean
it is good for you.We were all created
beautifully by God, and He made us all
different, so we should not compare ourselves
or our lives to others?. God also has a different
purpose and plan for each of us; nobody will
be running at the same speed or on the same
path.
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