August 2016
QUIT Facebook for 3 Days
08/20/16 Filed in: English Now!
Do you ever wonder what it would feel like to not have our current technology and go back to those times when we appreciated more what was actually in front of us rather than on a screen?
Most people today are preoccupied with “noise” from their television, computer or smartphone. Currently, social media dictates what’s “trending,” and it’s difficult to escape the habit of trying to stay on top.
Considering this, I decided to challenge myself and disconnect myself from all the fuzz of Facebook for three days. Let me share my experience with you.
Day 1
Checking Facebook can be counted as part of my routine whenever I look at my phone in the morning. Today is the first day I’m not looking at it and it feels like something is missing. I can’t explain it exactly, but I something feels weird. I normally get my first dose of the news in the morning scrolling through my feed, but today I that’s not possible. So I’ve decided to put my phone down and move on with my day.
Day 2
This is definitely bugging me and I was feeling the urge to re-install the application because I wanted to know what was happening in the world. But I told myself, “It’s just three days. Can’t you wait?” So I moved on and checked Japan Today so I could get the dose of current events I need for my work.
Day 3
I’m on my third day and it’s finally my day off. The urge to check my Facebook page is slowly drifting away and I’m feeling like I have more time on my hands. I normally take 45 minutes for breakfast and spend half of that time scrolling through the Facebook app, checking what’s new and finding myself on pages and posts not really relevant to my life, although entertaining. But I was struck by the questions, “Why am I doing this?” and “Why am I fighting the present?” Well, it’s impossible to bring back the lifestyle we had in the past before the introduction of this technology. But what we can do is learn our limits and use these technological advancements to our advantage, rather than becoming their slaves. These thoughts lingered in my head, so I took my family out to our favorite restaurant and we ate our favorite dish—without taking a photo of it.
In a nutshell, I realized that having smartphones and being connected to social media isn’t bad at all, but limits are important. I would recommend that everyone regardless of their age, go out in nature for extended periods not connected to anything. Disconnecting ourselves from time to time and using that time to do what we love, and be with the people we love will make you realize that there’s far more than what’s on that screen—it’s called life.
Most people today are preoccupied with “noise” from their television, computer or smartphone. Currently, social media dictates what’s “trending,” and it’s difficult to escape the habit of trying to stay on top.
Considering this, I decided to challenge myself and disconnect myself from all the fuzz of Facebook for three days. Let me share my experience with you.
Day 1
Checking Facebook can be counted as part of my routine whenever I look at my phone in the morning. Today is the first day I’m not looking at it and it feels like something is missing. I can’t explain it exactly, but I something feels weird. I normally get my first dose of the news in the morning scrolling through my feed, but today I that’s not possible. So I’ve decided to put my phone down and move on with my day.
Day 2
This is definitely bugging me and I was feeling the urge to re-install the application because I wanted to know what was happening in the world. But I told myself, “It’s just three days. Can’t you wait?” So I moved on and checked Japan Today so I could get the dose of current events I need for my work.
Day 3
I’m on my third day and it’s finally my day off. The urge to check my Facebook page is slowly drifting away and I’m feeling like I have more time on my hands. I normally take 45 minutes for breakfast and spend half of that time scrolling through the Facebook app, checking what’s new and finding myself on pages and posts not really relevant to my life, although entertaining. But I was struck by the questions, “Why am I doing this?” and “Why am I fighting the present?” Well, it’s impossible to bring back the lifestyle we had in the past before the introduction of this technology. But what we can do is learn our limits and use these technological advancements to our advantage, rather than becoming their slaves. These thoughts lingered in my head, so I took my family out to our favorite restaurant and we ate our favorite dish—without taking a photo of it.
In a nutshell, I realized that having smartphones and being connected to social media isn’t bad at all, but limits are important. I would recommend that everyone regardless of their age, go out in nature for extended periods not connected to anything. Disconnecting ourselves from time to time and using that time to do what we love, and be with the people we love will make you realize that there’s far more than what’s on that screen—it’s called life.
Brahm