Giving Up Social Media Gave Me My Brain Back
At least as an adult, I always try to give up something for Lent. And never something easy. Most years, it’s been giving up coffee. As someone who is on their 2nd-and-a-half cup as I type this out at 6:30 AM and will likely walk down to my local coffee shop later this afternoon, it’s more than just a habit. The first year I gave it up for Lent, my body went into a full withdrawal mode. I had cramps, headaches and felt like I had the flu for about a week from the lack of caffeine. Every year since then, I always mentally prepped myself for the rough first week of Lent I had to look forward to.
Last year, I took a different approach. I had just recently participated in a Daniel Fast with our church prior to Lent so another 40ish days of another dietary restriction felt…excessive. So I gave up social media instead. Little did I know that we would be going headfirst into the pandemic and not being on social media, limiting my news diet, would be a saving grace.
This year, we’re in the phase of actually coming out of the pandemic but I still gave up social. In a way. Due to the nature of my job (digital marketing), I cannot abstain from all forms of social in all ways. But I can draw hard boundaries that still support the spirit of not being sucked into wasting time doom scrolling.
The Rules of a Social-Free Lent
Here are a few of the ground rules that I’ve set for myself for this time between Ash Wednesday and Easter.
I’m still using LinkedIn; I work in B2B marketing and help train our attorneys on the platform with some degree of regularity. It’s also a good source of professional development content and honestly, it’s not a time suck. I have never felt compelled to take a LinkedIn fast in my life.
No Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Reddit. Not on desktop. Not on mobile. Nothing. This is where the biggest time suck is.
All of my news has to come from actual news apps or Substack newsletters that I pay money for.
I’m still blogging but really only getting readers via LinkedIn, email or other earned media (a Google search or other folks sharing my posts on their own social channels).
How do I feel so far?
The good news is that giving up social hasn’t made me feel like I have the flu. I don’t have headaches or muscle cramps. It is funny though how my thumb will reflexively look for Twitter on my phone, even after a couple of weeks. How my fingers will automatically type in Facebook in a browser, only now to be blocked by a Chrome plugin I use.
The fun part is that I feel like I have my brain back, even after this short time. I’ve felt hyper focused and productive. When I’m playing with the kids or we’re out at one of the museums around town, I don’t get nearly as stressed. I’m right there in the moment with them. There’s nothing else really to pull my brain in a new direction.
I’m also magically finding more time to read books. Weird how that works.
After Easter, I’ll recap some of the more macro trends throughout the Lent season. For now, giving up social media hasn’t felt like the sacrifice that many Lent things have in the past. It feels like a gift.