Covid Part 6 : How about some Social Media Distancing?

Covid Part 6: How about some Social Media Distancing?

Update: We have now been ordered to “Shelter in place” - to stay home unless purchasing necessities for 6 WHOLE WEEKS.

The better part of our spring, the last of our school year. No finality to thing, just being home. Together.

The week before all of this, I took 8 days off Instagram. I do this every month, once a month - I’ll go dark for 7 or 8 days whenever I feel the nudge from the Holy Spirit “It’s time.” I do it unannounced. It feels good and it a healthy rhythm for me.

This time, it just so happened to be the week everything escalated. And I was just fine as the world got a little panicked.

But then I signed back on, and it was Covid-19 this and Covid-19 that and hilarious  memes and deep thoughts and “buy my thing got cancelled!” and “now’s your time” and “rest and don’t do anything” and “clean out your house” and “get in shape at home” all these different messages flying at my eyes and I didn’t know how to sort it all out. 

THEN I went to the grocery store and literally saw no meat, no bread, hardly any chips, and two people wearing face masks and gloves. I felt this sense of scarcity - I needed to grab it all while I could. 

The social media paired with the grocery trip and and difficult text from a friend made my anxiety skyrocket. It wasn’t one thing or the other - it was all the things. But I FELT it. 

Then, I happened to get on an Instagram live by Pastor Steven Furtick of Elevation Church and he talked about Faith and Fear and how Faith and Fear are both products of our FOCUS.

BOOM.

What had I been focusing on for 8 days? My home, the Lord, my family, myself, my work. Then it shifted, and in one day, my focus was on this world crisis and a lot of other peoples problems and it all felt so heavy. 

I’m here to tell you, you don’t have control of a lot of things. But you can turn off your little app. You can quit instagram or facebook for a while. The world keeps going, I promise, but your anxiety doesn’t have to. Because it does contribute, and I find it so refreshing to take off 1 week from social media every month.

Does my “presence” fail? Sure. Does it hurt my “work” because I’m not “consistent?” Probably, but I haven’t been super consistent in months and I don’t really care any more. I’m learning my brain and my life at home are way more important to me than the social media game.

I encourage you to try it. Be uncomfortable and say goodbye for a week and see what happens. 

PS. I am in no way an instagram expert and have no experience in “how to grow your following” other than showing up and sharing my heart. It might hurt your insta strategy, but I’m after your heart. I don’t care quite as much about that other stuff. :)