My Social Media-less Life

Sometimes I forget that I started this blog to hold myself accountable and give other people access to my life to also help hold me accountable. Therefore, this post is a way to talk about the reason I started this blog: quitting social media.

As I mentioned a few other times in posts this week (since this is my third in two calendar days), it’s been a bit of a hard week mentally.

What I failed to mention in those same posts was the number of times I felt like I needed– no, wanted— to open a social media site and just start over. It had a real “junkie” vibe to it, and frankly, I’m not a fan.

The fact that I haven’t had any social media for almost 10 months, and I still feel the need to turn to some mindless scrolling concerns me quite a bit.

One of the things I did keep when I got rid of social media was YouTube because I never saw it as a real social media site (although in a lot of ways it definitely fits that mold). I am proud to say during the past few days, I didn’t turn to it like I would have with other social sites. I did turn on a few videos, but I haven’t finished any of them so far. Besides, Saturdays are usually the days I “catch up” on the channels I follow on YT, so I don’t normally finish any of them during the week anyway.

And if you happen to be reading this on a Saturday, I definitely wrote it on a Thursday night. 😉

Let me go back and reiterate that junkie vibe real quick…

I felt so distraught that my teeth literally itched at one point. I have not had that issue since last September! Again… it was a rough week.

Going back to some of the points in my second post yesterday, not only was it the anniversary of my dad’s death, but it was also the first anniversary that I didn’t have social media.

Coming to that realization seemed to open up a whole new appreciation for not having social media. I have to learn how to go through ALL of the times without it. Not just the good, not just the alright, but all of them. The bad times, the rough times, and everything in between.

A small side-story…

I went out for dinner with a friend tonight, and she was telling me about her Snapchat with other friends. As I usually do when it’s brought up, I reminded her that I don’t have any social media and like most people she made an argument for why she has the one she does.

I’m not God, nor will I ever pretend to be. Nobody needs to explain to me why they have social media. God asked me to set myself apart in a different way than many others have ever done. So I did. If my talking about my lack of social media causes someone to feel guilty about their own social media usage… that’s between you and God. I’m not doing it to have a “holier than thou” attitude. I’m just trying to follow the Lord in the way He wants me to. I am only reminding you why I don’t have anything fun to share about what I learned on social media because… I don’t have any.

In closing…

Maybe that story seemed a bit like a holier than thou moment because someone might think, “Why did you even bring it up then?” But the snaps my friend gets are from another mutual friend, and I get a little sad when I remember I can’t get little messages like that unless someone physically texts me. And most people forget they have my number… or they really don’t have my number. As is the case with this mutual friend…

So… it’s like a reminder to me more than it is to anyone else when I mention that I don’t have social media, and the reason is because the Lord asked me to leave it. But instead of saying all of that (because that does sound pretentious), I just say, “I don’t have social media at all.”

Is there something the Lord is asking you to put aside (whether permanent or temporary) that you’re holding off? Let me tell you, that is not advisable. And I know where you’re coming from. I’m here if you ever need anyone to talk to. 🙂