Have you ever put your kids to bed at night and realized you spent more of your day interacting with strangers on social media than with them? I have.
Have you ever put your phone down and then wondered what you just spent the last few hours doing? Only to pick it up again in 30 seconds? I have.
I’ve put new boundaries on myself in an attempt to be more present with my family.
These are the steps I’ve taken that have drastically helped me be more disciplined with how I use my phone.
- Set up daily limits on apps I tend to turn to as a quick distraction from reality.
- Set up screen time so at the end of each week I can see exactly where my precious time went.
- TURN OFF PUSH NOTIFICATIONS — this one has helped the absolute most. 🙌🏻
- When I reach for my phone I have to answer “What are my intentions for using my phone right now?” If I can’t answer instantly I put it down.
Social media is designed to be addictive.
It’s designed to keep you distracted.
It’s designed to take you away from your life.
Everything that’s on our phones will be there… forever. But our life and our kids lives are flying by and we won’t get a do-over.
If we miss the moments now, it’ll be too late.
My main focus should be on my family.
I heard something the other day about how if you’re trying to do something and you’re constantly left feeling frustrated that thing probably isn’t from God. It’s probably not where you should be spending your time.
Bottom line – I never want my kids to feel like my phone is more valuable to me than they are.
And I don’t want want to feel less than because of others behavior on social media.
When I’m constantly hearing noise — or lack of — and opinions from strangers (or even “friends” and family) it begins to make me forget who I really am.
Seeing everyone else’s highlight reels even when we know they’re highlight reels can still make us feel less than.
Comparison truly is the thief of all joy.
Plant Based Homemaker 