I’m still processing all the benefits I experienced this past week of being unplugged and off social media, personally and professionally. Some seasons absolutely require more intense engagement with social media, and I’m grateful for the opportunities various platforms bring, but if you - like me - are feeling worn down with mental and emotional fatigue, and feeling anxiously connected to your phone for various reasons, I encourage you to consider whatever a respite might look like for you. Here are 10 immediate things I learned this past week, unplugged:
Last week I took one full week off social media, unplugged, and spent time with my people, and I have to admit: it was unbelievably good for my soul. My phone isn’t inherently evil, but it sure can dictate patterns in my life if I let it. Putting it in its proper place freed up my heart and mind to listen to long stories, to capture memories in my mind, and to invest in conversations happening right around my kitchen table. No longer in a prison of scrolling and double-clicking, my hands were available for spontaneous back rubbing, shrimp peeling, seashell finding, and uninterrupted hand-holding.
Friend, we don’t live to produce; we’re made for His presence. We are image-bearers...not image-brokers. When we’re filled up, we overflow. And that is one of my biggest takeaways this week: I shouldn’t - I must not - create any other way.
My desire is always to be a blessing to you and to share with you what the Lord is teaching me. There is a lot I learned through this experience that I hope you can benefit from so that we can together preach truth to our own hearts.
(Speaking of blessings, we were unexpectedly gifted a week at a family beach house where we could rest, play, socially distance as needed, and where I could write this next book I’m working on. We also watched the Christopher Robin movie together, and well: Pooh is sure a wise bear.)
Resources to Help You Unplug
I'm praying for you today, friend. I'm praying that you take time to rest. That you put down your phone, step away from your computer and your tv, and rest in the Lord, and that as you are filled up by Him then you overflow.
Because of grace,