"Life is that thing that's happening around you while you stare at your phone." ~ Jeff Sandor
It's funny to remember a time that we weren't so glued to our phones and absorbed by social media. It seems to occupy a lot of our time. It's a habitual distraction, really. Being a meditator, I realize the importance of being present in life. I mean, really being in the moment; each and every moment. So I decided to try a little experiment. I decided to give up Facebook for a couple of weeks and see how it impacted my life, if at all. Well, I did it. After doing so, here is a list of things I experienced by taking a Facebook break. And yes, I will be posting this on Facebook. I mean I want you to see it! Right!? Oh, sweet irony...
1) I became more free of other people's problems.
When you open up your news feed sometimes you get puppies and cool quotes but often you also get people's gripes, complaints, bitches, and problems streaming to you in real time and non-stop. We underestimate how much programming we receive through our senses everyday. What we read, hear, think about, and talk about literal programs our minds. When we are constantly bombarded with negative content, our mood and overall happiness in life can diminish rapidly. When I stopped seeing the negative posts about politics, race, and complaints, you name it, I felt like I had dropped a load of bricks off my back. Like I could breath. I really felt more easy going and relaxed after awhile of no Facebook. It was eye opening.
2) I felt less pressure on myself and more free to be myself.
People rarely post about their personal failures or losses. When they aren't complaining about Trump or whatever, they are posting their wins. The big vacation. The fancy car they drove in. Their cruise to Jamaica. Their photoshop selfie that magically makes the wrinkles go away. Every time. Yeah. You get the idea. While posting that is fine, we sometimes neglect to be mindful that seeing a bunch of people have seemingly perfect lives often times makes us feel like less than we are. It's as if we compare ourselves to these bogus images and we feel we aren't achieving and living the good life like, what seems like, everybody else. When you put down the phone, you are faced with a more objective reality. You have no choice but to see life as it is, rather than what others are trying to make it look like.
3) I became more productive.
It's mind blowing to really see how much time we spend checking, chatting, and posting on Facebook. But if you had all of that time back, how much could you get done in your day? Answer... quite a bit actually. In just two weeks of no Facebook I can personally attest to having getting 2 canvas paintings done. My house is spotless. My yard got some much needed manicuring too. (Can I still say MANicuring or is it PERSONicuring? People are so silly nowadays). Oh and my book is a lot more close to being finished than it would of been had I been playing on Facebook. (It's 365 pages FYI).
4) I spent less time worrying and having imaginary "arguments" with people on social media.
Sometimes, people just troll other people. Their lives are so actively bankrupt that they just sit with their phone in hand and try to argue with people. They can't just scroll on. I know because it happens to me. Often. Does it bother me? Yes. Don't get me wrong. I think people should be able to speak their truth or opinion. But it does come at a price. And that price is that people will inevitably disagree with you. And they will cite every reason they can think of to prove to you why you are wrong and that they are right. It's frustrating. And often we misinterpret the written word. (Very easily, too) It's different when you can hear a person's tone of voice and see nuance. So we take the remarks we read and interpret them in the worst way we can fathom. We then stew over those and waste time worrying what to say and stressing. It's absolutely normal to do this and absolutely ridicules to do it. So don't waste your time or your thoughts.
5) I became more present.
It's amazing the things you see and hear when you aren't looking down at your phone. You know? You actually notice things. Things that are right in front of you. Like on coming traffic for example. Seriously though, during my break from Facebook, there were often many times where I was just sitting there and I felt complete peace. No need to reach for my phone. I wasn't consumed by trying to feed my eyes with a flurry of social media brain candy crack. There weren't any political debates to be in. No "selfies" to post or like. Just being; being right there and then. It was quite liberating really.
6) I became more plugged in when I unplugged from Facebook.
I kind of felt like I gradually took more interest in my own life. Yeah I know that sounds silly but it's true. More importantly, I wasn't distracted with the lives of other people. The only life that I was "viewing" was my own. Since the advent of social media, for the first time, I just had my own shit to deal with. And to be honest, that was pretty cool. My personal time became a more simpler time, all by deleting that 'FB' icon on my phone. I wasn't searching for anything. I wasn't getting upset with the ridiculousness of other people. I no longer had a need or want to share a darn thing with the world. My life... was... just mine again.
7) Much of my anxiety and need to explain myself seemed to disappear.
When you don't have the opportunity to express your thoughts to people, they don't have an opportunity to criticize or commend you. You stop worrying about that little hit of dopamine you get when a Facebook "notification" pops up. You begin to unlearn the constant habit of checking your phone. You just begin to sort of sit with yourself and sit in the moment you are in. Those previous habits, those distractions, bring unnecessary angst and anxiety. When you let go of that phone, you let go of that media induced anxiety.
8) My (actual) friendships improved.
Yeah. Duh. Of course. Why wouldn't your friendships improve when you are putting in actual face time rather than Facebooking with them. There's no substitute for hearing a person's voice, seeing their face, and engaging in actual listening in a real conversation. When you connect with people in a way that reveals more visual information than simply the written word, your relationship with that person strengthens. The emotions and connections become real. You can't type out having a real conversation.
9) It is literally emotionally draining dealing with people's opposition everyday.
Trump this. Clinton that. The Republicans suck. No, it's the democrats fault. You are racist. No you are. Fake news. Back and forth and back and forth. It amazes me more people aren't on anti-depressants. Holy shit people throw more shade than an umbrella nowadays. It's instantaneous. It's insane. And again, if you are taking in these thoughts and images everyday, multiple times a day, you will feel emotionally taxed way more than you should. And funny enough, it's self inflicted. And we keep going back again and again. It becomes kind of a mental crack cocaine. And crack might trip your trigger for a while, but ultimately it comes at a price.
10) I became a happier person.
Honestly, maybe the preceding 9 things I experienced may have been obvious to some of you, but I am a little surprised how just cutting out Facebook for a mere two weeks affected my happiness. I didn't think about it until I actually deleted the FB icon and put my phone down nor was I aware of how much psychological stress comes with being active on social media. I feel like a dog that broke off his collar. It feels good to be free. Free from worry. Free from politics. Free from concern. Now the only walls I think that I'm going to worry about are in my home. In fact I think I'll put up one of my paintings that I was able to do with all that "new" time I had.
