Guarding Against A Social Dilemma
What if there was a way to control the social atmosphere?
If you’ve seen the documentary Social Dilemma you understand this question. If you have your own dilemma on the real impact of social media on our lives, I can attest that I could feel every bit of it over the summer.
This year has been full of twists and turns like no other. After George Floyd’s widely publicized death my timeline was flooded. At first it was it was just protesting. Then it was protests gone wrong. Then others experiencing police abuse in the past and present. Then came the political bias. Next, I couldn’t believe one side over the other. I’m a sensitive person so my emotions were on a rollercoaster. I was now confused and completely discouraged in a world I had no control over. Or did I?
I had, and we have, control over what we feed ourselves. It can be challenging, but it is possible. First, I started with limiting my Instagram to 1.5 hours a day. Then I discovered I could limit all my apps to a certain period of time each day. I made my apps inaccessible 10:30pm-5:30am. The time I’m winding down and time I’m waking.
Self-care is not always spas, warm bath and candles. It’s re-evaluating what you feed yourself, mentally as well as spiritually.
Because I now had more time, I remembered to pray. I also had more time to read the Bible and be focused on it with less distractions.
I began to feel hope again. I remembered that God has the final say. I remembered we live in a fallen world. It’s not always pretty, but I can surrender it to God. I can trust Him despite how I feel.
I’m still working on my social media habits. I’m practicing the art of loading and getting off. Sometimes, I still get caught scrolling and the explore page is tricky trap for me. Overall, I’m better. I feel better. If you’ve felt the way I did this summer, I hope you take care of your heart by guarding your eyes and mind.
There’s a whole world outside of social media. We must remember what is around us is more important than the portion presented to us. Perhaps we personally can’t control the social atmosphere. But begin to master your own, and you’ll help influence the next in a better direction.
Keep your crown up sis,