Many of us have a tendency to over- pack our to-do lists. ‘No’ is a hard word to deliver, particularly for the people-pleasers among us.
Our energy frazzles and we rely on our precious storehouse of adrenaline as gasoline for our daily schedules, interspersed with B12 drinks and its why Brits like me resort to sweet cakes with our 4pm cuppa tea-to push through the final segment of the day.
But its not just physically that we cram too much in-its energetically too. I put to you that scrolling through social media, preparing to post by finding just the right filter and the perfect witty caption to match is pretty exhausting stuff.
The checking in to see how many ‘likes’ your endeavors have accumulated…its a rubbish way to spend time, really.
Believe me, I am just as guilty as any social media regular user. Every time my iphone indicated a number on the Facebook app icon I’d be compelled to click on the thing to discover who loved or commented on what.
All of its so silly-and I knew it. It was chewing up too much of my precious time and I had been perfectly happy before social media apps came along; Happier, perhaps. And do I want my children to remember me with my head craned into a phone?! No siree.
So, I deleted the Facebook app. Its been over a week now. No more seductive red box holding how many new Facebook notifications I have. No more easy accessibility to click and thumb through what people I haven’t seen for twenty five years are up to.
Freedom. More energy, more time. A feeling of contentment. I kid you not.
As if the Universe wanted to validate my Facebook omitting decision, yesterday I happened to catch a wee snippet of Anita Moorjani’s HayHouse Radio show. She was talking about taking an ‘information detox’ when you feel saturated and overwhelmed. Anita is a practicing advocate for a taking a few days out-unplugging-negating social media and emails to nourish Self from the inside out.
As a yoga and meditation teacher, I know this in theory. But its only been lately that I’ve been applying it to my life.
Trying to keep our head space reserved for the things that truly matter is essential to well-being. There’s enough going on in our own universes without poring over baby pictures of your old school friend’s new offspring or loving what someone you met once had for dinner.
Worse still is when we get sucked in to the pantomime of someone’s drama, whether its over politics, parenting or prejudices.
Ah! I can feel energy draining just writing about it.
So I’m currently sitting pretty-Facebook app liberated. I can still access it if I need to in a pinch, but it involves navigating web browser and remembering passwords; I intentionally made it all too inconvenient to bother.
How many times do you click on that tempting blue f-sporting icon daily?! Or is it Instagram or Twitter that lures you in?
If you’re feeling ‘GAH!’ too, try your own prescribed version of an informational detox. I’m sure you know what time-wasting culprits are in your life.
Namaste, Bright Sider.