It is hard to feel connected with today’s world, if you do not have at least one social media platform to communicate with your friends and the rest of society. SMS was such a radical idea in 1992 when the first text message was sent; as the pinnacle of mass media communication, it became extremely popularized by then end of 2010. Regardless of SMS being an immense development for being able to reach out to others, today’s society can no longer function with that alone. At least, that’s what it may feel like when you and your peers are addicted to looking at a phone screen.
However dire it may feel to not be in the social media loop of information, here is a list of five things I have learned when I deleted all my social media off my phone, so I could focus on self-care.
- Revitalizing Hobbies
-
We all have self gratifying tasks we like to do to amuse ourselves when we have free time. Usually these patterns of entertainment were developed when we were younger. I have noticed that as I have grown older and obtained more responsibilities, I have let these hobbies sit on the backburner, never really being able to ignite them at full volume once again. I always blamed work and school for not having enough time to enjoy reading a good book, making art, or writing in my journal; however, the reality of it was, I was consumed by social media. Taking that time away from it made me fall in love with my past and truly appreciate the joy of creativity and imagination.
- The Ability to Learn New Skills
-
For years I have been building up a “To Do” list of little things that I have always been interested in learning that do not require a degree of higher education. You’d be surprised at the vast array of free tutorials on YouTube and other websites that can launch your learning. Not only was learning fun, but having these added skills helps to build my resume. For instance, I was able to build a DIY island — with help of course– as well as obtain my leasing license, and learn how to sew!
- Closer Communication
-
When was the last time you looked at who was in the contact list of your phone? No, not the text messaging app, but your actual contacts. Usually, those are the people you have a closer relationship to than those friends on social media. I learned by taking this media break, that the people that are most important to me in life, I could effectively communicate to without any social media. In fact, our conversations were now geared more towards what was happening in their lives, versus a conversation of a shared social media link that one of us found interesting. I relished in communication that involved deeper and more personal topics with close friends.
- The Nurture of Nature
-
So, if you are a couch potato like me, you find happiness by staying cozy on your sofa, with a good book or a great movie, in a relaxed, dark setting with scented candles. The truth, however, is that I was laying in bed on my free days, scrolling through my phone! Without the ability to do that, I found myself outside riding my bike again. I started to enjoy the call of nature and wanted fresh air to stimulate my skin. My basic senses encouraged me to explore new adventures like starting a garden for the first time, learning how to skateboard, and going on my first two hour hike with some girlfriends! I got so comfortable being outside that I no longer cared about being dirty or bug bites. It was so refreshing, and I can honestly say that my mood improved with this change.
- Learning the True Meaning of Being Fit
-
I was always hard on myself for not fitting into mainstream media’s image of beauty. Even with all the body-positive Instagram accounts, all the cosmetic surgery and makeup made me feel like I had to look a certain way to be attractive. I believe a woman should do what she pleases with her body if it makes her happy, so I support those who do make those changes. However, most days, I am one of those people who feels happier without makeup and provocative clothing, and I am okay with having messy hair and not doing my edges. That being said, without having those constant beauty standards shoved in my face, I began to work out again because it made me feel happier; not because I was comparing my body to other active women. Some days, I started to style my hair and put on makeup, because I wanted to impress myself; other days, I would spend the day content in comfortable clothes. I did not take pictures and post them for other people, I simply enjoyed my beauty by myself and went out with new confidence.
I have learned some valuable insights through this seven month break. I am not saying everyone needs to take the same amount of time for their journey to self discovery, what I am saying is take a few days to yourself to relearn what is important to you. I believe this is crucial to self care. The moral of the story is, amongst the chaos of this adventure called life, always give yourself a break.