As a Protestant Christian, lent is optional for me, but I have been participating in it every year since converting to Christianity my sophomore year of high school. If you’re not familiar with Lent, it is a practice of spiritually preparing yourself for Easter for the 40 days (excluding Sundays) before Easter. For many Christians, Lent means giving something up, not eating meat on Fridays, or adding a spiritual discipline (like praying every day, or reading the Bible more). I have participated in Lent in different ways over the years, from giving up sweets to trying to memorize a Bible verse every day (I only managed to memorize about five). But this year, I decided to give up social media. I’ve actually given up social media before: I’ve gone on several week-long social media fasts by myself, gave it up for 40 days during School of the Heart, and I even deleted my Facebook for a year-and-a-half at the beginning of college. As challenging as it might seem to give up social media, which is so ubiquitous that it can be hard to imagine life without it, it’s actually a really rewarding experience. Here are a few of the benefits of taking a break from social media:
1. You have SO MUCH more time.
While I was practice social media fasts for more spiritual and personal reasons, a huge benefit of giving up social media for a while is that it frees up so much time that you had no idea you were wasting. When I am not checking my social media accounts the moment I wake up, right before bed, and, if we’re being honest, several times in between, I have time for so many other things. During Lent, I tried doing Bible plans as a morning and evening ritual, and it was so much more rewarding. Throughout the day, when I had a few minutes that I would normally use for social media, I would read articles, do homework, or even just sit in silence. And I was significantly more productive, because I didn’t have Facebook as a procrastination tool.
2. You will experience way less outrage.
These days, Facebook is a notorious political battleground. While civil debate can be really healthy, when you’re confronted with constant frustration every time you open your phone, it really takes a toll on your emotional health. During my social media fast, I kept up with the news by reading articles, but I was able to take a much-needed breather from the chaos of friends yelling at their classmates’ great-aunts over hot-button political issues.
3. You will start to see yourself differently.
In our social media-saturated culture, it is easy to see yourself through the lens of what would look good on your profile. Visiting friends can become, “How do we get the artsiest group shot?” Even breakfast becomes, “How do I make myself look cool?” When you take a break from social media, it gives you the chance to live in the moment without worrying about creating some kind of image for others to view later and “like.”
Similarly, when you’re not being flooded with everyone else’s illustrious vacations, impossibly cool friends, and filtered workout selfies, you begin to feel better about yourself. Think about it: when you look at someone’s Instagram, you’re seeing the highlight reel of their life, and even then, it has filtered and cool captions to make everything sound amazing. When you compare that to the everyday experiences of your life, it’s easy to feel inadequate. But you’re not. They’re just great with filters.
4. You will be more present.
How many times have you been at a table where someone is tuned out of the conversation because they are distracted by something on their phone? How many times have you been that person? We are so addicted to notifications from our phones that we thrive on the little red number next to our icons. Giving up social media helps us to detox, and when we’re not checking Facebook every five minutes to see if that one person (you know the one) has liked that new profile pic, we can actually enjoy our friends.
Whenever I give up social media, I get so much more out of my time, my moments with friends, and even my day-to-day experiences. Have you ever given up social media? Tell us in the comments!