MY SOCIAL MEDIA FAST

This past weekend, I completed a social media/technology fast. It was cool. And I'm about to tell you everything I learned via a social media website (cause I learned a ton, duh). But first, I'll tell you why a social media fast was necessary/how it came to be/why it's such a big deal. 

Last Thursday as I was walking into work with Chelsea, I was walking through a parking lot and texting on my phone - as one does. I might have accidentally not been looking where I was going and I might have accidentally ran into the side view mirror of a truck. When I actually got into my office, there was a pretty huge goose egg on my head from the truck. DANG YOU, TRUCK. Well, my bosses noticed and they decided I needed an intervention. The questions, "what would you even do without social media for 48 hours? What are your hobbies? Do you even have any hobbies other than social media?" were thrown around, and with those I was determined to prove to everyone (and myself) that I could go without social media for 48 hours and be perfectly okay. I have tons of hobbies, I'm social, and I got mad pride so I was not about to turn down this challenge. Somehow 48 hours got changed to 3PM Thursday to 8AM Monday, and no social media got changed to no technology, internet, or anything of any kind besides phone calls. Here is the list of official rules for #GABBYSTECHNOLOGYFAST:

1. No internet

2. No social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest, etc.)

3. Phone calls ONLY (no texting)

4. No Spotify

5. No Netflix

6. DVD's & cable TV only

7. May not announce the fast beforehand

8. May not look at anyone else's social media

I'm still not sure how Spotify and Netflix got thrown in the mix. But it happened and I survived this fast! Over 100 phone calls happened on my phone from Thursday afternoon to Monday morning. But it happened. And however much I hate to admit it, it was kind of nice to be unplugged for a little while. It happened. I probably won't be handing over my smart phone anytime soon, but it was fun to be in the present and not have to worry about what was happening online or on social media. Here are some things I noticed throughout the weekend:

1. Making plans via phone call is a LOT more efficient than text. Seriously. You call the person, make the plans, hang up, and then you're done. None of this "what do you wanna do later" "idk man" *15 minutes later* "maybe we could do this"...... you just make the plans and then they happen. It's awesome.

2. If you're in the car with your friends, PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN and just jam to the radio. I might have lost my voice a little bit this weekend from singing so loud. It was kind of embarrassing but also so fun. No phones to scroll through = refreshing.

3. Actually falling asleep right when you get into bed is kind of nice. I have a problem of staying up way late just scrolling through my feed, but I felt really well-rested this weekend and I think a huge part of it was actually going to bed when I got into bed. 

4. Not once last weekend did I wake up with my phone charger wrapped around my neck. Which happens more often than I'd like to admit. But yeah, that was cool.

5. One of the bad outcomes of this fast was that Kanye West's shoes (YEEZY BOOST 350) came out on Saturday and they sold out in less than an hour and I DIDN'T GET ANY. Which was probably a blessing because let's be real I don't have money for those, but man I wanted them really bad. And my social media fast held me back from getting them. But that's okay because sometimes bad things happen to good people, and it's how you get through those challenges that define you as a person. 

6. Life really isn't confined to a 4 inch screen. This is so cheesy but my life was really fun last weekend because I got off my phone and went outside and made an effort to hang out with my friends and experience life rather than just observing everyone else experience life through my phone. 

7. Smart phones are awesome. There were so many times during my fast where I had a question, was trying to make plans, needed to fact check, look something up, etc., when I felt very inconvenienced because I couldn't use my phone. Even if you hate all social media, you gotta admit that smart phones are dang useful.

I probably won't do something like this again anytime soon, but it truly was an eye opening experience. I still have the notifications for my social media accounts turned off, so I can stay a little bit unplugged throughout the entire day instead of getting alerts every 5 seconds like before. 

Also, should I start blogging more? I'm kind of feeling it. July resolution? It might happen. We'll see.

XOXO,

gabs.