For about three years now I have been giving up social media for lent. To be totally transparent, I was going through a bad breakup back then and was looking for something to get my mind off it. But every time I would look on social media I was just getting sucked into a negative space. My entire life I was raised catholic – from elementary, to middle, to Highschool, to even college, I’ve always attended catholic schools. I thank my catholic experiences as well as my pastor Father Derivan for building me up as the person I am today.
With that, I decided to turn back to God and commit even stronger to strengthening my relationship with God. Lent is a great time for Catholics to give something up in remembrance of Jesus’ suffering leading up to his crucifixion. When I was younger I gave up things like chocolate, soda, candy, or my absolute favorite chocolate chip cookies (side note, supermacs cookies are unreal!) But after talking to my pastor about lent and what else I can do more, he gave me the idea of giving up social media. So along with giving up meat on Friday’s in remembrance of Jesus, I’m also staying off social media. This list includes, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and my all time favorite Twitter.
Now, I use all 4 of these social media platforms for both personal use and for my business, Be You Stay True. To say it’s tough is an understatement! I love social media for the sure purpose of spreading positivity and keeping up with my friends and all they do. But I can get “lost in the sauce” and stay on social media liking pictures, catching a perfect snap, updating on Facebook, or laughing at memes on Twitter for hours at a time. What I hope after these 40 days is for me to spend less time on social media and spend more time in the “moment”. Enjoying life’s experiences as they come and go. I get so caught up trying to update everyone on what’s going on in my life – but missing those moments as they come. Staying off social media is hard the first couple days because I always catch myself looking through my phone as if the social media apps are still there. But after a week or two, it gets easier. I don’t always have to be updated or keep others updated during lent when I’m trying to focus on myself and my relationship with God.So with that, if you’re currently on your Lenten journey – I wish you the best and hope your relationship with God gets stronger! Use these 40 days as a fresh start and best of luck!Cheers!
