Taking a Break

“Change is as good as a rest.”

Hands up if you’ve heard that phrase many times before.

*Raises hand*

In my experience us humans tend to be afraid of change. We often hide or run away from it, even when it is necessary. A change in something means going from the known to the unknown. Certainty to uncertainty. It can be daunting, frightening and intimidating.

And yet there can be so much good that comes from it.

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt in life it’s that change should be embraced. I’ve also learnt that when it is embraced, it really can be as good as a rest. There’s a reason clichés exist.

Don’t worry, I’m not about to make a wild announcement where I turn my life upside down.

But in this post I have a couple of things to say, both that relate to change.

In my previous post about Dewitt Jones and celebrating what’s right with the world, I mentioned that I had been inspired to set myself a challenge, one that would instil a little change in my life.

After hearing Dewitt talk about how much beauty there is in the world, I began to reflect on the significant amount of time I spend looking at my screen, and the minimal amount of time I spend appreciating the world around me.

I decided it was time to take action, and so, because I seem to use my phone mostly for social media (I can’t be alone there), I experimented with limiting my social media time to 30 minutes per day during the week, and absolutely none on the weekend. I also decided to stop using my phone (and scrolling) while eating.

So how did it go?

After the first week, I noticed something I didn’t expect, and I made the following notes:

Sept 6, 2021

Monday morning. After a weekend of no social media and no emails, I was finally able to tap open those precious icons.

I woke up, showered, made my breakfast and ate it without using my phone. Once that last mouthful was done, it was all on. Social media here I come!

So I checked Facebook notifications, opened Instagram and looked at stories, scrolled a little. Then I checked my personal email account.

After that, I got up to get a glass of water from the kitchen and put the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher. While I was doing that it hit me.

I literally felt bombarded by all the “voices” I’d just heard from looking at social media and checking my emails. It’s hard to explain, but honestly, and I’m not being dramatic here, as I stood in the kitchen and thought about everything I’d just ingested while looking at my phone, I felt like I was stood in the ocean bracing myself while wave after wave hit me.

Okay maybe that was a little dramatic. But hopefully you get my point.

I did not expect to feel that level of overwhelmed just by spending 20 minutes or so looking at Facebook, Instagram and my emails.

Everyone wanted something.

Both my emails and social media were trying to sell me something, people were seeking likes and comments, I was getting life updates from people I knew (a good thing) and people I didn’t (an unnecessary thing).

It’s just a lot, and it’s not something that needs to be consuming our every spare minute.

For me, this was a great reminder that it is a good idea to change things up from time to time.

Although I didn’t particularly want to spend less time on social media – it is a form of entertainment after all – I knew that I needed to. That there was more to my day than watching someone else’s unfold through their Instagram story.

And I mean that quite literally.

Making this small change decreased my average daily screen time by an hour. Reducing my social media time had a snowball effect in that I spent less time on my phone in general. I gained an extra seven hours per week. That equates to an extra 15 days each year.

It’s quite confronting when you put it into context, isn’t it?

Naturally you might be wondering what I’m going to do with that extra time now.

This is where my second point of this post comes in.

I said earlier I don’t have a bombshell announcement to make, but I do want to end this post by letting you know that my blog will be taking a hiatus for the rest of the year.

I mentioned in “My Why” that I had some writing-based goals for this year, and now it’s time to step back from this blog and see those goals come to life.

Next time you hear from me (on here) I’ll let you know what they are, and I hope you’ll love what I’m working on.

“The world is changed by your example, not your opinion.” – Paulo Coelho

That’s all for now,

Jordyn