My experiment with leaving social media

How I left Facebook and found a wee bit of clarity...

It happened in a flash, a flash of knowing that I needed to clear my mind for the year ahead of working with the word clarity. And to clear my mind I decided I needed to let go of social media for awhile. So I promptly deactivated my Instagram and after one more post I was off of Facebook as well.

Deep breath. I feared I had become a bit dependent, on Facebook in particular.

And then it was almost immediate...space....there was all this space in my mind and in my day.

It has felt so luxurious to have so much space for thinking about other things and not needing to know what other people are doing in their lives every minute, 

Of course after a week of enjoying the extra space I began to be plagued with FOMO (Fear of missing out) I started to wonder what people were up to. I heard from a couple friends who were just checking in, curious about my absence from social media. One friend was inspired to take a break too and focus on her writing.

Many of my friends just seemed to disappear, as I did, off the face of Facebook.

It was as if we forgot all the other ways we have to stay in contact and connected.                               

I learned that I will always find out important things, like learning of the death of Mary Oliver, even without social media. Thank you Robin for gently being in touch about that.

I learned that that the speed of technology is too fast for my spirit and that taking a break allows my mind to slow down to its natural pace especially in the slower times of Winter. 

I love connecting with friends, family and other loved ones on Facebook and Instagram and I also love taking a break from so much knowing of facts and information. 

My head really is so much clearer now.

Turns out this is great preparation for focusing on some of the other things I want to give head space to like writing and getting Clarity about other areas of my life.

I also learned that I need Facebook for my business marketing and have depended on it to get the word out about workshops and other events. I will need to strike a balance as I reenter the world of social media. Like everything else, moderation seems to be the key.

And here is a really big thing...I was also starting to use social media as an escape. A way of checking out and keeping certain parts of my mind out of awareness. This can and did lead to some unconscious living but fortunately also led to a big emotional breakthrough for me. That will be fodder for another blog. I hate to keep you waiting but it is so important it deserves it’s own title and time. 

So after a month without social media, I have reactivated my Facebook account, mostly to market a Mary Oliver event at the Langley Library, but also to see what I do with Facebook sitting there all activated and ready. Mostly I have just let it be, I did check on a couple friends that I have been missing briefly but then decided to just wait and see what happens.

Now I am sitting in a cafe in Ireland. I don’t plan to document my every move on this trip but I may post an update, or not. We shall see. I do know that I am going to take my new found head space to the lake at Glendalough and ask for some guidance about my writing and my work as I step forward on my journey with clarity. And then I will seek balance as I navigate doing business in the modern technological world. 

I just want to know that I can navigate it with clarity and awareness.