No More YouTube No More TikTok- No More FB…
Loneliness & now interacting with REAL people
DAY 7
Well I’ve made a week! 7 days – are you proud of me?!
I haven’t consumed it – I haven’t created it – I haven’t scrolled – I haven’t posted a work video – I haven’t recorded, edited and waited for likes and comments from a daily video – I haven’t done it!
And I’m still alive!! The world is still here! life is still happening!
To be fair I should probably scale this – I’ll give it a 6/10 for difficulty so far…
I’ve had a full week off it all…. Ive had a silence in my life I’ve not had for a long time…..
How do I feel?
I feel good!
I feel calm…. I feel peaceful in a way.
There’s more time in the days to figure out slowly what I want to do with my human life.
What do I like and love? – I need to find out over time…. And I’m happy for this to take time – as I want to notice properly what interests me. I’m interested to know what will I end up trying and doing with my life.
It’s actually a beautiful time of self discovery.
✅ This weeks benefits!! Things I’ve noticed and reasons why I WILL be continuing:-
1. ANGER/ANNOYANCE/IRRITATION
Theses are the emotions I felt this week (especially at the beginning)
They were the first fuels that started the fire within me to stop using social media in the first place – I’ve been angry/disappointed/irritated that I’ve been addicted to something so utterly crap, something so small, ‘jailed’ and boringly repetitive, so constricted for my one and only chance at human existence on planet earth!🌍
I’m here for such a short time – I mean I’m 45 soon – half way through my life already, right!?and I’ve been head in a phone pretty much every waking hour…..
It really was never ‘supposed’ to be like this for a human.
We are social beings and this means BEING PHYSICALLY IN OTHER PEOPLES COMPANY!!
Family, friends, work colleagues even semi strangers that you know that work at the bank or the shop when you get your milk.
My annoyance and irritation for being addicted to basically a very substandard life is helping me vastly to stay off social media
I’m irritated that I fell for it all and even did it in the first place – we were all sold an idea of utopia- how fun and convenient and interesting it was to have in our pockets- when actually it’s a ‘jail’ and small jail at that – one that you become locked into by your own mind….
The petulant School girl inside me sees all this now and once she is in control she put her heels in the ground and she’s not budging – I’m leaving social medias grip!
2. CLEANING MY HOME – yep – I have spare time to clean my home and do my washing – everything smells nice around here
3. SLEEP QUALITY is far better and superior. I mean I dreamt before but now I’m dreaming IMPORTANT dreams – im clearly able now, with the space I’ve given my mind, to process some very important stuff that’s happened to be recently – I’ve been bereaved twice in the last 5 weeks!!!
4. PROACTIVE – dealing with life problems efficiently – making phone calls or sorting things quickly to lower anxiety levels – car broke – yes that’s stressful but I got on with it
5. SEEING PEOPLE FACE TO FACE! Made lots of plans to see my friends FACE to FACE. Coffees booked – movie nights done – new house visits booked – hike booked with a group of women (complete strangers atm!)
I’ve even enjoyed meeting the people involved with the nuisances in my life – ie the people at the car garage when my car broke down- the person I meet when he delivered my hire car. I’ve taken time to talk and make eye contact and enjoy my time with people. We’ve listened to each other and tried to have a giggle about life! It’s been quite pleasant to be honest … almost like they NEED it too …. I wonder….
6. CHILDREN – had deep and beautiful conversations with my kids this week – watched movies with them – played old school Conkers (and lost) – made meals from scratch, spent time with them and listened more to them – I had more time for them instead of barely listening to them as I watch an AI cat video….
7. NEWS : I need to be in touch with the world – leaving social media made me worry how I’d know stuff – so making sure I use a newspaper to get the news headlines at least to stay connected with the world – I’ve chosen the Guardian.
8. HAIR & MAKEUP. Have more time for it – I can be bothered because there’s more time. This improves my self respect/confidence/value on a daily basis
9. RESPECT/CARE – have more time to look after my elderly father – I shopped for a really nice birthday card instead of getting a quick one down the shop cos “I haven’t had time” – I’ll be proud to give that to him on Thursday. I also bought a beautiful one for my boyfriend too. I feel proud of this tiny thoughtful move
10. GOING OUT: 2 birthdays means I’m going out to 2 fancy restaurants soon. So I bought a new dress – I will enjoy dressing up and doing this properly, instead of rushing there in my work clothes. I will enjoy talking to all the people round the table and make sure i enjoy the waiters interaction with us. I will really enjoy the laughing and seeing people enjoy themselves – can’t flipping wait
11. THINGS IVE NOTICED – a journalist wrote about how leaving social media is ‘the answer to a better life’ and to a healthier mental state. The Guardian. – wow the timing!!
She wrote: How social media was sold to us as a utopia at the beginning and now it’s a hell hole…. Yep! That may be confirmation bias or even a self fulfilling prophecy for me in some way. But very interesting timing for that article to be released and I find it…..
12. ALLIANCES OR LIARS? Ive started mentioning it to people that I’ve been off it for 7 days – they are all acting like they do when you say you’ve given up alcohol “oh I don’t do it much” “I have it under control” “oh I bearly do it myself” or sometimes the diamond in the ruff “oh me too I gave up years ago” – I need to find one of these, but with social media! – I’m now on the search for this unicorn…. Although Someone tonight said she’d given up facebook years ago…. But didn’t say anything about TikTok or YouTube… so I assume she is locked in somewhere
I need to meet my tribe – the converted – the changed. – the ‘giver uppers’ or whatever we will be called!! Shall I start the movement. Shall I start the ‘GIVER UPPERS’ tribe!?!!
I feel I see enough benefit already in 7 days to see this is way better to live like this!!!
I wonder how this will develop and change over weeks and months – it’s actually flipping exciting!!
There’s another way!!!!!!!!
There’s something else!!!!!!
I’m allowing myself to find it – to see it – to live it!!
My human life will be gone in 50 years if I get the privilege of getting old – so I want to spend every moment of it better than flipping scrolling!!!!
I’ve given up social media everyone!!!!!
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Another-Way-Surely 