As my summer is approaching its end (seriously, I go back
to school in two weeks), I thought I’d share what I learned from my social
media break.
I’m happier when I’m productive. I already knew this, but I
needed reminding just how much this really affects me. In the six weeks or so
while I was (mostly) away from social media, I managed to get so much done
around the house. I cleaned closets and the oven, scrubbed tile, organized.
Surprisingly, these things made me happy. I’m strange, I know. But there is
just something about being able to see progress. As a teacher and writer, the
pay-off is often years down the road. A small seed planted will grow, but damn
it takes a long time. But scrubbing tile shows results immediately. I like that
instant gratification. Thirty minutes organizing my closet made me feel a lot
better than thirty minutes refreshing my feed.
I also managed to do a quick revision on my newest project.
Now that my CPs have had their way with it, I’ll buckle down and do a major
overhaul. I’m looking forward to it. The quick revision would have taken a lot
longer had I been procrastinating on my phone.
I missed chatting with Twitter. I was definitely
disconnected from current events, as I rarely turn the tv on in the summer and
almost always get my news from Twitter. This was great in that, for the first
time in a while, I was in a good head space. I found I’m less anxious when I’m
not on social media all the time. I love the conversations and varied voices on
Twitter, but sometimes it is just sensory overload, especially for someone who
teaches school all day. I’m always dealing with current events, chatting about
them with students, playing devil’s advocate. It’s hard to do that all day and
then see that all evening without becoming extremely anxious.
I’m glad to have crawled out of the cave. I hope to do a
better job at balancing online and offline time. I want to take what I learned
this summer and keep it going without having to cut myself off completely.
I know what I need to live life well: running, writing,
measurable progress, silence and solitude, breezes and sunshine. I need time to
think without outside voices crowding my head. But I also need collaboration
and stimulation. I need to be challenged and aware. I need balance. I want to
be present.
Above all, I want to create. But I’m not going to lie: I
really miss Candy Crush.
