President Nelson issued several challenges during his address at women’s conference. One of them was to partake in a social media fast. He said “I invite you to participate in a 10-day fast from social media and from any other media that bring negative and impure thoughts to your mind. Pray to know which influences to remove during your fast. The effect of your 10-day fast may surprise you. What do you notice after taking a break from perspectives of the world that have been wounding your spirit? Is there a change in where you now want to spend your time and energy? Have any of your priorities shifted--even just a little? I urge you to record and follow through with each impression.”
When he shared this I was immediately relieved. I had taken a break from social media this summer when he issued a week long fast for the youth of the church and I was starting to feel like I needed to pull back again. Over the last ten days, small moments have produced great change in my heart and hopefully will continue through my actions.
I wrote down things that stood out to me during this time and some of them were obvious while others were things that surprised me. I realize everyone has a different opinion and experience, this is just mine.
First, I realized how much time I spent with social media. I don’t just mean the scrolling part. I mean the time I spent thinking about what others might think if I shared this or that (crazy, right?) or comparing myself to what I saw on my feed. Social media brings out all the insecurities in me! I probably knew that deep down, but it came to the surface big time. It hit me that so much of social media was truly wounding my spirit.
Second, lack of connection. I used to think that Instagram was a way to stay connected to people who lived far away, family, friends, etc. FALSE. Maybe people will see kid pictures or Instagram stories and know a little clip of my life and vice versa but that isn’t quite a genuine connection. Getting away from social media helped me realize that the time I was spending there was disconnecting me from my kids and those in my life that I had real relationships with. I reached out and talked more to people instead of a “like or comment” here and there on a post. My kids and I played more. I was present with them. Real connections were made.
Third, I had time. I used to think I didn’t have enough time to get everything done: cleaning, cooking, scripture reading, time for myself, etc. WRONG. I was wasting time on my phone. When that went away I was able to read, not only my scriptures, but books I thought would never get read. Try three. In 10 days. None of which took away from time with my kids. I got things done and my kids got more time with me. Time that I am ashamed to say I would sometimes waste on social media or my phone.
The last thing I want to share about is the spirit that I was able to feel. Removing social media and other negative media influences allowed the spirit to be with me more. I was able to be a little more patient, calmer during times of struggle, happier, and I received more promptings that were small whispers from the Holy Ghost. My heart was full. I found myself being more grateful and kind.
Was I perfect? Absolutely not. Is social media the reason for all my struggle? No. I learned that like most people these days, technology and media has a greater influence on me than I ever realized. My priorities have changed. I don’t know exactly how much I will participate in social media from now on.
I needed this. I am grateful for this. Now it’s up to me to take all these things and put them into action.
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