I’m a Social Media Addict: End of Day 1

Today I decided to decrease my social media use. I’ve tried this before but it has never lasted for very long. A friend of mine was visiting yesterday and he told me how much better – and less stressful – his life had become ever since he stopped using Facebook six months ago. He also said that that he read lots of books since then. That’s when I decided: that’s it. I’m doing this. I’ve been wondering if I was missing out on life because of my over-use of social media. Now is the time to see if that is the case.

Today I went onto Facebook and Twitter twice. The first time this morning I probably spent about 30 minutes on it. This evening I found myself less interested in going through all my friends’ feeds. I scrolled down just a little bit and then stopped. I didn’t feel like I needed more.

During the day, I did feel a bit of tension every time a thought went through my head that I would normally immediately share on social media. But that tension was balanced out by a general sense of relaxation. I felt more relaxed today than I have in awhile, actually. It is almost as if being constantly on social media gives me some sort of an adrenaline high. Or perhaps it is the constant state of engagement that I’m in while I’m on social media. I was also spared the negative news I frequently find on my feeds and the general negativity that my friends will frequently and understandably express.

Did I get more done today than I normally would? Probably not. I’m actually quite good at multitasking. I usually get things done when I want them done. I just incorporate my social media use into all of that. One result, though, was that I was not in as much as a rush as I normally am to get those things done. I usually check my feeds just before I leave the house and just when I get back in. Not doing that meant I was just meandering along. It felt good.

I didn’t read my book like I thought I would. I didn’t spend my time going crazy over cleaning the house. I ended up spending part of my time watching crap reality television in place of interacting with my friends on Facebook.

My husband and I keep in touch with each other throughout the day by Facebook messaging. Today he had to call me instead. That was a pleasant perk on the one hand, but it meant that we had less contact than we normally did. I obviously had less contact with my friends and other family members as well.

I’m hoping that turning off the computer at a much earlier hour will help me have a more sound sleep. I’m the type that wakes up a lot during the night – although I always manage to get back to sleep soon afterwards – and I always always have nightmares. Will less social media engagement change that in any way? We’ll have to see.

In the meantime, I’m happy feeling a bit more relaxed today.