Social media is a tool, more like a weapon, actually, it can be used for amazing things or it can be the biggest time suck in your life,
For a lot of people, (me included) social media has been the means to start a business and make something that would have never been possible just 20 years ago, it has been the medium to connect with other like minded people that understand and are working towards the same goal,
but it can also distract us, make us loose focus and inspiration in the things that actually bring us joy, and interrupt the time that should be given to the most important people in our lives, our family, our friends, and our own selves.
As I come out of a social media break, I reflected and made Dua so that Allah would help me strike a balance with this device on my hands, and there are 5 things I will be trying to implement moving forward.
As with all beneficial things, I want to share them with you, just in case you are going through the same journey:
1. You can't take it all in:
The first thing is realizing that as humans, we are not meant to take in all of this information. We just can't process it all, which leads to overwhelm and anxiety.
Staying on top of all the news, all the people in different parts of the world, the crisis in each corner, the latest muslim drama, etc, will not have the benefit we sometimes think it will, it will actually makes us loose time that could be spent focusing on our own selves and community, and how we can better serve in the place Allah has placed us in.
(Of course there is an exception to this, that is when there is a global crisis that needs our attention and can benefit from us sharing and raising awareness, here we need to exercise our own wisdoms and decide what things deserve our time, and which ones will just cause us more harm than good)
There is so much information being thrown at us, and you need to pause and ask yourself, how much of this information you are actually retaining, and from what you retain, is it really beneficial?
ex. I love crafting and learning new things, but am I really going to make that engraved cutting board, or a kitchen bench out of wood scraps, or hand painted glasses? honeslty, I won't, so I need to stop spending time on things I know I won't make any use of.
(Those 537 tutorials can wait until you are ready to learn something)
2. Search what you want to learn
This is a BIG one for me, because the thing that kept me glued to social media was the excuse of learning....but the truth is, I was not learning anything, because I couldn't remember half of the things I was watching.
So now, I don't stay around and scroll waiting for something I could do, but when I actually want to do something, I search it up, and there will most likely be hundreds of results on it, many different approaches so I can find the one that suits me better (blog, video, infographic) and actually learn the thing I want to do, when I am ready to do so.
With the free time saved up from scrolling, I can be more productive and get *actual* things done!
3. You are who you follow.
As I said, social media can be a tool of good, or a tool of waste. And it all comes down to the people you are granting permission to be on your hands at all times.
The heart is a vessel, and just as clear as we can't see a virus that can makes us sick, it is just as clear that the images we are seeing, are also having an effect on us.
So, during this time of thinking about my social media use, I would pick up the phone to see what is the first thing that pops up when I open Instagram, is it something that brings me closer to Allah? something that causes me to have envy? something that causes me to feel insecure? something that distracts? that makes fun of someone?
I thought about having to answer for every single image I came across. That my eyes, ears, mind and heart have a right upon me, to be treated with respect and to be protected, to be brought closer to the purpose of their creation, which is to worship Allah, so am I doing that with my time on social media? or am I letting unnecessary, distracting and/or distressing things enter my heart?
Remember that the algorithms on this apps work to put in front of you the thing you search and watch the most, so paying attention to the first things that comes up when you open the app, is a good way to see where your attention is.
4. How much time is it worth?
Now, the next thing for me, is asking myself, how much time of my day am I willing to give up?
It seems a bit dramatic to ask it this way, but if you think about the fact that you could just sit on your couch, have a snack and scroll for hours on end, just watching what other people are doing, what they are eating, what they bought, what they wore...it's time wasted really.
So every time I opened the app, I asked myself this:
how much time are you willing to waste?..it was a real eye opener, to know that I could just loose 30 minutes of my day so easily, or 40 minutes, or an hour...
So, this is something I am working on, sometimes I have worked a lot, and I need just something to lighten up my day, a funny cat video or babies being cute. Then I also remember that I also have a cat that is here, with me, that has the cutest fluffily belly that lifts my mood each time, and I go do that.
It's working out great so far.😸
5. Leave it for last
And so, after I have decided that I do want to just spend some time scrolling for a bit, I put it down on my priority list. That way it doesn't get in the way of the things I have to do.
I can't tell you how many days I have woken up with a plan and a schedule, only to have it go down the drain because I got distracted, or saw something that completely destroyed my mood, or got upset about something unimportant....
So, I finish all the things I need to do, and if I have time left, I can spend some of it there....(disclaimer: most days, I don't have time left, and it feels great because I actually got the important things done!)
So this is my new Mindful social media approach, I hope that if you have also felt a little anxious or worried about the way social media is affecting you, that you can put some, (or all!) of these in place in sha Allah.
