The Result of No Social Media

Hey Everyone!

I hope you are having a great summer. I know I am :). So recently I was talking to one of my friends, Mike (you know who you are), and I asked him to do something for me. I wanted him to change my passwords to my Facebook and Instagram so I couldn't log onto it anymore. He agreed and I said goodbye to my social media.  And hello to...not entirely sure? 

I was away from Instagram for 2 weeks and 2 days but I am still not on Facebook. I took back my Instagram because I missed it and because I wanted to have a place to show off my new blog posts. I also didn't think I needed to be away from it still unlike Facebook. 

I know 2 weeks isn't a long time but that doesn't mean I didn't gain from the time spent. Being away from Social Media taught me a few things. Here they are: 

• My friends are beyond the screen. 

Yes, you read that correctly. There are people beyond the screens of phones and computers. I know that you all know that and I knew it too. I just did not realize how much I used social media until I didn't have it anymore. So when I stopped having those things there I noticed my friends more. I wasn't reaching for my phone as much because I wasn't being distracted with notifications. I realized there was more excitement when I saw people cause I wasn't staying on top of their lives online. I was being more present to the people around me. Yes social media is great for staying in touch with people who aren't around. However, there are people who are close by who would love the attention you are giving your phone. 

•  Drama is for sitcoms not the real world. 

I can't blame this one on social media because I am the one to blame. However, having no social media helped me realize more about myself. One of the things I realized is that I had become a little bit of a drama queen and sometimes tried to come off as the victim. And that is not me nor is it who I want to be.  I think that part of my reasoning for doing this is because I had nothing to do at the beginning of summer so I had to entertain myself and I suddenly found myself caught up in the drama.  I don't have a proper excuse for it but I can say that I don't want it to continue. So I have decided to make changes that will ensure that. (And I'm sorry to people who may have experienced drama because of me.)

•  Negativity can really do a number on you. 

I don't have the worlds highest self esteem and I have learned to accept that. Not because it is a sign of weakness but because it is a sign of who I am. I am never going to be 100% satisfied with myself or life and the sooner I accept that and live life the sooner I can be happy. Because along with the drama I had in my life, I had a lot of negativity. About myself. About my life. About a lot of things. And that was not helping me. It was causing a lot of damage. So I needed to find a way to channel that negativity/get rid of it. Social media does play apart because of FOMO and likes and self image etc. But I cannot blame it all on something that I choose to use. Which is why the important thing is to channel the energy not end it. But it's going to take awhile. 

•  Life is about doing not showing.

Life isn't for us to just post online. It's for us to go out and do something (and potentially post later on KIDDING). But in reality life is not about showing everyone else what you do or have done. It's showing yourself what you can do and have done. It's about proving to yourself that you are living life to the fullest. The posting and the showing online is just a tiny benefit. 

•  All that energy can be actually used. 

I found out that I go online when I'm bored. Therefore I decided to find ways to replace that time. I had work to distract me which was nice. So during my "bored time" I started reading and writing more. I sang a lot and sometimes just I would just sit in silence and watch the world around me. I started using the energy i had set aside for social media and started using it to live in real life. 

Those five things may seem silly or not important but in reality they are a part of who I am now. They are a result of a choice i made and I'm proud of it. Which is what is important. So who knows if I'll get Facebook back or keep Instagram. That is another decision for another day. 

Ciao mis amores!