Un-Mediated

Time to be honest with yourself. Do you spend more time on the internet and social media than you mean to? Are you missing chances to connect with people one on one because you’re busy broadcasting your life and adventures to groups of ‘friends’ and watching their lives unfold online? Consider how much you edit out of what you post. Consider what they might be, too.

This challenge offers a chance to build your real life social network, not just your friends list. Positive connections with other people are vital to our emotional and mental (and thus physical) health! Don’t neglect yours!

Habit:
Leave your phone in your pocket
Talk to (or text, or email) one person (not a group)

Daily:
Check social media deliberately, only as often as you feel is right
Turn off all electronics half an hour before bed

To Do:
Spend some time having a conversation
Contact someone you haven’t spoken with in a while
Take one 24-hour period with no social media

Reflection:
I’m glad I took some time becoming more mindful with my use of social media throughout the month of August. As a stay-at-home parent, I find that I often turn to social media as a “quick fix” of less-demanding, adult-oriented social contact when parenting gets intense. Nothing wrong with that, as long as I recognize what it is I am doing, and deliberately choose it as a coping method, with the clear understanding that it isn’t a substitute for contacting my loved ones directly and communicating with them one-on-one! Also, turning off my electronics half an hour before bed is both harder than I expected, and a real boon to my nightly routine. My relationship with social media is something I expect I will continue to address as it (and I!) continue to evolve together.