The BEST gift from Christmas

So I do this every year at Christmas time, but this year it was truly what I needed. The morning of Christmas Eve I take all of social media off of my phone, Facebook, Instagram, and messenger were the main ones that I use. I work on my mindful practices everyday and yet I took so much from this break that I decided to extend it passed Christmas. Here are my biggest takeaways:

1. My thoughts are a lot clearer. I don’t feel so scattered and distracted. Yes, as a mom we all feel that way, but social media can make that even worse. I feel like my brain has slowed down these passed few days. I’m more focused on what matters most, instead of all of the “noise.”

2. I am more present. This is the reason I did it in the first place. I didn’t want to miss out on the magical moments of this holiday. I didn’t want to look at what other families were doing during the holidays only to miss out on my own.

3. I am more present, not just with my family but with the world. I never noticed how much I fill my blank spaces with social media. I really make a ton of effort to not sit on my phone in front of my kids. I would sit in the car while my husband drove and log in and waste precious time that we could have talking. I would log on while waiting in line or sitting by myself somewhere, when those are moments I’m missing out on. People I missed and didn’t get to meet because I was buried in my phone.

4. I don’t feel so overwhelmed. This goes along with my thoughts being clearer. Because I’m not so consumed with other people, I felt like I could handle a lot more in my life, even when I was hosting almost 30 people for Christmas Eve. I wasn’t wasting time on my phone.

5. I’m not worried about what other people are doing. I’m making decisions based on what i really want and not letting anyone influence me. It’s amazing how social media can make you feel less than or like you are doing right even if you are conscious of the fact that social media is a highlight reel.

6. I am more creative. My thoughts are clearer so my thoughts are my own. I was feeling very stagnant in my content, when really this was a cry for space. White space without the noise all around. I needed this more than I even knew to get clear on my business and my next steps.

7. I’m happier. Need I say more??? Isn’t this what we are all after? I can 100% say that this break has made me a happier person.

So here’s my plan going forward. I am going to log back on at some point to social media. As I write this it is two days after Christmas and I still haven’t logged on, even on my computer. I miss seeing what everyone is up to, and connecting with my friends. I realize that really this is how we socialize now, but there needs to be some hard boundaries going forward for me. I realize that filling the spaces with other people’s lives is not my goal, but connecting to others is my goal. I can do this by logging on a few times a day. Even morning, afternoon, and night. My other thoughts are that I can do this in 10 minutes. If I’m writing a post, probably 15 minutes. I am going to set a timer for myself so i keep track of the time better. I have an awesome idea for an app, so if you are an app devoloper or you know someone, please reach out. Obviously Apple is aware of this issue with the new screen time feature on the Iphone, but to me that isn’t enough. I’m good with putting my phone down at night and first thing in the morning most of the time. For me, it’s more getting sucked in to the vortex of social media and not realizing how much time I’m spending on there in that very moment. I will certainly keep you all posted on this journey and work in progress.

If you haven’t ever taken time off for more than a day from social media, and I mean a full 24 hours, I strongly suggest it. You have to experience it yourself. If you are feeling the pull in anyway, DO IT.

Have you ever taken days off at a time? Can you relate to how I was feeling? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Much Love,