Social Media Break Update

One week down.

How did it go?

Well, I talk a bit about it in a video I’ll link below. But for those not into videos…

It felt like a start.

I removed Facebook from my phone. That wasn’t the end of it, of course. I made the mistake of leaving Twitter installed, mostly because I kind of hate Twitter and didn’t think it would be an issue.

Talk about underestimating my brain’s distraction addiction.

I slipped up. I needed to use Facebook to talk to my street team group when I was looking for beta readers for this new novella, and I ended up slipping back into the habit of checking notifications way too much. I did use Twitter more than I should have (in spite of how completely unsatisfying it is) because my brain would rather get a quick hit of that feeling of DOING SOMETHING and STIMULATION than be alone with itself for five seconds. I ended up breaking my phone out of phone jail way more than I should have by the end of the week.

But good things came of it.

I did get work done. While it wasn’t any easier for me to make my brain buckle down and start work every day, I at least had fewer alternative uses for my work time. I finished my second draft of Sanctuary, I made corrections and revisions on the aforementioned novella (which I’ll be sending out to newsletter subscribers on my birthday). I got some reading done (Slammed by Colleen Hoover and The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown).

Do I feel calmer and more present? Absolutely not. Actually, if we’re being honest, my anxiety is through the roof right now. Whether that’s FOMO, withdrawal, or what, I don’t know.

So we’ll see how the rest of the month goes.

I got back on Facebook last night so I could attend the (super fun) release party for Krista Walsh’s Song of Wishrock Harbor, and now I’m leaving again.

I’m going to read more. More fiction, more inspiring biographies, more big ideas that my poor foggy brain might not even understand.

I’m going to escape to my own worlds.

I’m going to keep trying to calm and quiet my mind, to be a little more present in my own life.

And I’m definitely deleting Twitter. 😉