Why Being Anti-Social is a Good Thing

I've been on something of a social media fast for the last few weeks. It was strange at first, not keeping up with my digital friends and all the updates that one wouldn't even know about if they weren't doom scrolling.

I deleted most of my social media apps off my phone and have found that alone to be a huge time saver. I have also mostly avoided checking social media on my computer more than once a day or so just to see if there was anything really urgent I needed to know about.

In some ways, life offline has felt a little lonely b/c many of my faraway friends have routinely sent me funny videos, memes, and pics. However, even though I miss that, I have to admit that those interactions can feel sort of lacking and leave me missing more meaningful conversations.

What I'm not missing is the stress and anxiety all that screen time was giving me. Also, I've put the time to good use. I have done lots of art, (see above pic - a recent mixed media collage which is made mostly from sliced-up papers I made with acrylic paint.)

I've also read several books, and have been learning Mandarin. (Xiè xie Duolingo!) I am honestly surprised by how quickly I am picking it up. Amazing what we can do when we let go of distractions!

So now instead of being stunned that I let an hour slide by unnoticed as I watched all the reels and shorts, I'm excited to be thinking about my new favorite Chinese words and phrases. So far my favorite thing to say is "I frequently eat hamburgers." (Wǒ chángcháng chī hànbǎobāo.) It makes me laugh every time!

I'm looking forward to doing more in-person socializing and/or at least on-the-phone versus online ways to connect. I'm letting go of the doom scrolling and making room for better stuff to roll in and take its place!

Visit me and learn more about what I’m working on at FeliciaBrown.com!