UNPLUGGED

Hey Y’all! Happy 2020…

It’s been a minute since we’ve chatted.

I broke up with social media last month… And here’s why!

Simply put…there was too much noise.

Soooo we would all love to say that we use social media to generate revenue, keep in touch with family and friends and build a community right?! Right. But, honestly it is a source of news and entertainment and I use the word news loosely. The “news” has become other peoples business and I started to realize I was far too invested in what others had going on. It became too loud in my own head.  

In this world of over connecting and being so available to an outside world that cares nothing about you personally, I decided to take a break. I unplugged for the month of January. I vowed to make 2020 a year of intentionality and in order to stay true to that I had to block out the noise of things I was unintentionally seeing while scrolling through my timeline. 

Initially, I thought this would be difficult as January this year included New Years, the birth of my nephew, a friend’s destination wedding, vacation with my family and MY BIRTHDAY. I had to sit back and think, but why is it going to be difficult to disconnect this month? Oh because you want to show people what you’re doing?! Is that important? Does that benefit you? 

The truth is it was a much needed break that helped me ini more way than one.

Y’all know I love a list.

Here are the 14 gems I realized while being UNPLUGGED.

1.    Virtual life is not real life. There is life between takes and Instagram stories.

2.    Productivity! No excuse to procrastinate. I got so much done.

3.    Look up and enjoy instead of recording. There was little to no urge to record my experiences and in turn, I fully enjoyed myself much more.

4.    Without the outside influence of what everyone else is doing, I was able to truly focus on MY goals. 

5.    You are what you eat, listen to and see… I was starting my day looking through trash.

6.    I wasn’t wasting time thinking of clever ways to come across as witty or funny with my captions.

7.    My attention span for my family and friends increased exponentially.

8.    I am more patient! 

9.    Removal of unnecessary information- sorry but who cares you got a new car :).

10.  Immediate feeling of freedom not tying parts of my day to an app to see what others are doing.

11.  Even if subconsciously- No comparing or searching for validation from others post and “idealistic lives”.

12.  No FOMO- can’t feel like you’re missing out on things you don’t know are happening.

13.  More present, especially during conversations.

14.  Fully charged battery!

I believe I am going to implement this practice from time to time to take and intentional break and disconnect from the digital world and reconnect with myself, my thoughts and my feelings. Unfiltered, not distracted and not influenced by the world of social media.

Next up delete, delete, delete…

Have y’all tried unplugging? If so, what did you think? How long did you last lol? Necessary?

Love Ya, Mean it

Nateanah