How Was the Social Media Fast?

We’re thankful for those who joined us for our “social media fast”! Hopefully it was formative and informative for you. Informative to witness the hold some of these Apps or our phones have on our attention, appetite, and alignment with God, and formative as we took the time away from our regular routines and rhythms to avail ourselves of the presence of God when we might typically check out or numb out on our devices.

As we wind down the fast, let’s choose not to fall back into habits of phone usage and consuming our time on Social Media. After having a break from it, think about how great you feel not being disrupted by notifications, or frustrated by so much of the news and opinions of others that we find on the internet.

We want to recognize the meaningless things that keep us perpetually distracted or in “fight or flight” mode, and break habits that spiral us away from spiritual and relational health with those around us. Think about the time you got back throughout your morning or day that you were able to allocate for more meaningful connections with God and  those around you!

As we “break” our fast this week, don’t just go back to how it was before, ask:

• How did you feel without social media? (Mind, body, emotions)
• How has it changed your social/relational interactions?
• How has it changed or opened up more time in your day?
• How has your relationship with your phone changed?
• Are you more or less connected to (real) people?
• Do you feel more or less compassionate for the people around you?
• Do you feel more or less connected to the world around you?
• Do you feel more or less compassionate for the world around you?
• Are you more or less connected to God throughout my day? (This is the true heart behind healthy any healthy fasting)

In light of how you answer these questions, consider how you will reengage social media and/or your phone usage. Pray and invite the wisdom of Jesus to lead you as you rethink your relationship with apps/social media and your phone. What will we allow to determining the outcome of each of our days? 1,000 distractions or a singular focus?

Here’s a few stories from our community:

“I decided to fast from FB, YouTube news (not my subscriptions) and news in general. It is amazing to me how strong the almost constant pull is to just click on an app. It has really opened my eyes as to how controlling these apps are. I don’t know how many times I have almost had to physically grab my finger and pull it back. I just didn’t realize how drawn I am to social media. It is a little frightening.”

“I can honestly say I have less stress in my life. I am a better husband, friend and employee (without social media)”

“I have consciously tried to not only use my phone less (less notifications, apps, online interactions that don’t add anything to me or my day), but also to just have it in my hand or pocket less. Set it down, walk away. The sheer number of times I end up picking up or just holding my phone even though I have no reason is crazy”

We’d love to hear your experience with this fast if you’d be willing to take a moment to share with us what you learned about yourself, phone/apps or relationship with God and the world around you during the fast”