40 Days Off Social Media, This Is What I Learned

Well, hello hello hello! It’s been a while since I shared thoughts via this space. I trust that you all are doing well and thriving! Taking the time to really get back to writing and reading has been a focus for me these last few months. Which brings me to today’s post!

On March 1, 2023, during the wee hours of the morning, and one of my many bouts with insomnia, I hit deactivate on my Instagram page. I wanted to use March as a proper reset for me in many areas of my life. First on the list, losing focus. Instagram can be a rabbit hole at times, it was the first thing I checked in the morning and the last thing at night. I couldn’t tell you how many times during the day I would end up scrolling…..for hours at a time. I didn’t like the feeling of not having focus and being so distracted. Don’t get me wrong IG can be a good time, especially when you need a good kiki, but what I have learned this past month, is everything in moderation.

So, what does one do when you turn off all the noise and look within? You drink more spring water and mind your business. I cut out all the fruit juice I was used to drinking and have been consuming mostly JUST water, my skin thanks me daily. Sugar cravings are my weakness, removing snacks from my lifestyle and replacing them with fruits and smoothies have been my go-to. The sweet tooth can’t just fall out, so when I have a craving I have been adhering to the serving size of my fave snacks and consuming what is actually recommended.

Working from home and Uber Eats/DoorDash were hand in hand 🤝, which also added to A LOT of unhealthy eating (and unnecessary spending). This month I have been taking the time to properly nourish my body with whole foods. Carving out a couple of days to meal prep has helped with this. The key takeaway here is, there isn’t a project that I will sign onto that will take me away from myself again. I will not put work before my health anymore. Eating the same thing for days on end can get boring, but I have seen the difference already in gut health and feeling fuller longer.

I used to read ALLLLL the time, since the pandemic that hobby has dwindled. I don’t like that, especially when I have to fight with a teenager and pre-teen about how important reading is. I had to lead by example, if they never see me reading again, why would they think I value it? My goal is a book or two a month, so far so good. This month’s read is Luvvie Ajayi’s Professional Troublemaker.

Movement has also been lax in my life since the pandemic. I was ripping and running through these commuter streets and obviously, that has not been the case these last 3 years. I have had to put a concerted effort into moving my body especially since I am literally staring at 40, the metabolism has slowed done tremendously. This is a constant work in progress, but I have made major improvements this month. With the weather getting much nicer, walking will be an easy exercise to implement into my lifestyle. Because that is what this really has to be moving forward, a conscious lifestyle not a fad diet for an event.

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All in all, I have been living life offline and enjoying it. I attended the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop exhibit in NYC, went to the movies with the fam, and took some sneaker L’s 🙄. Now that I am back online, I don’t even check it like that, which is what I wanted to accomplish, self-discipline. Let me know what you have given up recently and what it has taught you. Cheers to thriving!!