Why I quit social media for a month!?

In January, my church started the year with a fast. Fasting is basically abstaining from all or some kinds of food or drink as a part of one’s faith. So my church particularly committed to the 21 day Daniel fast which refers to the foods Daniel ate during a time of fasting in the Bible. (See Daniel 10) I fully committed to the food fast and to spending more time with God just because, I really wanted to start the new year going deeper and to be honest, with a clear head.

I thought I was good with just giving up food but then I was praying one night for God to take away all things distracting me from seeing Him and I swear to you, I heard God so clear saying, “those apps though? They gotta go!” I pretended like I didn’t hear but over the next few hours, I became so much more conscious of how much I scroll so I just deleted my Instagram and Facebook apps. God wanted my attention and although I didn’t really want to give up social media, I wasn’t about to be distracted by sites full of false ideas of reality when I could take time and plug into the source of all identity (Jesus).

During my time fasting, I really was able to grow closer with God and I saw/heard my prayers answered. I actually prayed that God would give me passion and fire for writing again and boom, here we have it, cordeliaparis.com. Crazy right?! During my time off of social media and breaks away from junk, I just saw how much more focused I’d become. I was fully present in conversations and in whatever I was doing; it was great. And it’s all because I wasn’t glued or distracted by my phone and I felt free. But in this, I was also amazed at how many times I picked up my phone a day out of habit to scroll. Honestly, it was ridiculous!

But okay, boom! The 21 days ended. The Daniel fast was over. I felt rejuvenated in my spirit and HALLELUJAH, I could have meat and bread again. And I won’t front for this site, I was excited to download my apps again. I felt good in my spirit but still, I had a little FOMO.

But then tragedy struck. The news reported that Kobe Bryant and his daughter, GiGi died. I’m not a basketball fan. Besides cheerleading in high school, I have absolutely no ties or connections to the game but Kobe, he’s a household name. He was a living legend and my heart immediately broke for his family, his friends, his colleagues and his fans. The pain I felt for a man and child I didn’t know reminded me of the pain I felt when Nipsey Hussle died. I honestly didn’t know Nipsey’s music or much about him but his death really took a toll on me. That said, I took Kobe’s passing as a sign to stay off social media a little longer, to spend time loving on my loved ones, ultimately lifting his family in genuine prayer and protecting my peace.

In all of this, I learned taking a social media break is a way of controlling what I allow to influence my emotions. Like scrolling through Instagram all day and reading tragic post after the next can really take a tole on my mental health. Not just referring to celebrity deaths but honestly all current events: updates on 45, about this Presidential election, post of missing kids, vids of police brutality against people who look like me. It’s all A LOT! And to be honest, although I missed being able to search hashtags for new hair styles, reading post from Humans of NY or following my fav influencers every move, I really did feel so much lighter without the heavy influence of the world. It was nice and in all, it was TOTALLY worth it.

I was inspired by a fast and needing less distractions. But I really learned the value of pulling back when needed and using such channels in moderation.

I’m back now but with a daily time limit. Because I mean, what’s better than indulging? Indulging with control! Ya’ll should try it.