Lately, I have become less and less interested in Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  These platforms lack very little substance and I am bored with the selfies, the hateful comments and the overall nonsense that is so prominent in these places.  While I can never absolutely disconnect due to my Mara Prose promotions, I can cut back and live life in the present more often.  After listening to others that I know feel the same way or they are simply giving it up for Lent, I decided I would follow suit and here is why.

More Time With God and His Purpose For Me

My morning walks where I pray and meditate are so peaceful and relaxing.  They really center me for the day and I just feel so consumed with God’s love.  However, I feel like I have been tarnishing these moments by checking in daily on Facebook with the status that I was walking, praying and meditating.  I finally decided, why does anyone else need to be a part of this moment?  What do I really gain by allowing the world to know that I am spending my time with God?  I have carved out that time for Him, so let it just be about He and I!

Mara Prose Time

The time I was wasting on social media, posting, checking in, reading articles and scrolling through comments, could very well be devoted to Mara Prose.  Now that I am working on book 2 for The Davenports series, developing a script and promoting my poetry, I do not have time for things that do not add any value towards my pursuit of a writing career.  Even with the cutbacks on my frivolous social media past time, I still struggle with managing to find time to accomplish all the promoting I need to accomplish; which is all the more reason to re-prioritize.

Seeking A Deeper Connection

I find it really rude to be on your phone constantly in a social environment.  I have been guilty of this as well, but now I am really tired of it.  If I am having a conversation with you, I want to have a conversation with you without looking at the top of your head while you type something into your phone.  If you are too busy to actively participate and stay focused on the conversation, then we simply do not need to waste each other’s time hanging out.

I am also tired of being around people who cannot listen to what you are saying because they are too busy trying to talk over you, as if what they have to say is so much more important than what you have to say.  I really attribute this behavior to people lacking social skills due to the dominance of social media interactions.  I have found I have a much better time with people who rarely get on Facebook and who are not overly concerned with what others are posting.

40 Focus

I was chatting with a friend of mine, and she was explaining that around 40, you begin to simplify and realize less is more.  You also really start to look at your friendships and focus on the more meaningful ones – the ones that make you feel good, where you can be a 100% authentic and you don’t just continue with them because you have known each other for a long time.

There are several people in my life who regularly keep up with what I am doing solely based on my Facebook posts.  There are others who act like a friend, but are just being nosy about my life from my posts.  Whatever the case may be, disconnecting eliminates this annoyance, removes the fake friends and leaves me with only the TRUE friends who willingly make time and effort towards our friendship.  When the only avenue towards a connection with me is phone calls and plans to meet up, it is interesting to see how many people fall right out of your life.  I have even decided to cut back on my responses to texting since it is still a very lazy method at keeping in touch.

I am still in the very early stages of changing these habits.  It is going to take some work not to overshare when I get excited about positive things in my life.  I also like to check into places, but it is going to be so freeing to be able to just go wherever I want to go and simply enjoy the moment without a broadcast.  I am all about making lifestyle changes right now, and I believe this one is going to bring a lot of peace of mind.

~ Mara Prose