Whilst I am still feeling into the new year and taking time to listen before setting my intentions for 2019, I did make one decision over the Christmas break...to give up social media!
It felt like a great decision at the time...I felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
For starters, I was going to reclaim precious daily time in my life which was spent checking Facebook. I worked out that 15 minutes each day equates to over 91 hours a year, which is 11 working days a year...Time I could spend interacting with my friends and family rather than staring at a screen...or do more painting and creative art...or have more days off to spend with our grandson.
Other big gains included putting an end to...
comparing myself to others when my post isn't liked or I'm not tagged at an event.
feeling left out when I see others on a night out
feeling irritated at the daily minutiae and opinions that some of my 'connections' feel compelled to share on social media.
oversharing when sucked into the latest craze/round robin/quiz that wants me to share how many piercings I have or countries I've visited.
avoiding random purchases via FB adverts that seem to know exactly what I am missing in my life!
In other words, there seemed to be a lot of potential benefits to withdrawing from social media.
Spurred on by these benefits, I removed the social media folder on my phone - no more easy access to FB, Linked In, Twitter and Instagram...if I wanted to go on social media, I have to make the conscious effort to locate the app rather than click the home screen icon.
Then I started to see the extent of social communication that we now rely on via social media - nowadays FB is often the only place big announcements are made! What happens if I miss the announcement that my friend has got engaged or suffered a bereavement or got a new job and then upset them by not knowing? What if I miss the next singing workshop, rehearsal or food fair because I didn't see the notification? Do I stop writing my own blog as I can't actually share it with anyone now?
There has to be a third way, a compromise, a solution - a way of staying connected, following the new rules of social interaction via social media AND maintaining a healthy level of energy and time commitments.
So, this is one of my intentions for 2019 - to find a better balance between staying connected to others and caring for my own needs. Thank goodness I've got 361 days left to figure this one out!!