Today I wanted to share some of my favorite places to connect online and how I’m trying to do that in a more mindful way. I enjoy social media, sometimes too much. I spend valuable time on my phone when I could be playing with my kids (not a great example to set), reading a book, writing, or scrapbooking; then at the end of the day I wonder where the time went. Of course, when I really think about it, I know where it went…
A few months ago I made a big change and deleted the Facebook app from my phone. That app was my biggest time-suck and led me down the path of comparison way too often. I still use the Facebook Groups app for a few groups that I enjoy but I am no longer mindlessly scrolling down my News Feed.
Even with that change though, there are still plenty of other sites to keep me distracted during the day. So more change is coming. I want to put my phone down and pick myself up.
How can I be more mindful with social media? Is there even such a thing?
I think there is and I think it comes back to intention, non-judgment and awareness – the basics of mindfulness.
- I’ve set an intention and am trying to limit my “checking-in” to no more than 3 times a day.
- When I do want to open a social media app or website I will start by centering myself with some breathing. This will help me recognize if I’m really aware of what I’m doing or if I’m using the phone or internet as a distraction from things that need to get done or from things that I want to do.
- I will be aware of what time it is and how much time I want to dedicate to social media in that space.
- I will be non-judgmental with myself when I slip and I will set an intention to try again next time.
- I want to engage in a meaningful way when I’m online.
I’ve now publicly declared that I will be more mindful with my social media habits. Please feel free to help me stay accountable to this practice using gentle reminders and encouragement. They are more than welcome!
Where do I connect online?
Mindful Memory Keeping is my new online home. I started this blog to get back to my long-forgotten love of writing. I hope you’ve been enjoying my posts so far. Do you use a blog reader? You can get new blog posts from me on Feedly or Bloglovin’ or Subscribe via Email to have new posts sent straight to your inbox.
In addition to this blog you can find me on Instagram. I share a mix of experiences with my kids and family, my memory keeping projects, and I’m trying to integrate more pictures of everyday mindful moments. I really enjoy photography and I love the combination of creatively editing a photo and at the same time documenting a memory.
I’m also on Twitter and have become a fan since the beginning of the year. I can quickly scroll to see what is going on in the news locally and around the world. I also enjoy the short conversations there. My feed is mostly filled with a mix of mindfulness and news and some of my favorite bloggers. I like to retweet inspiring articles and want to offer kindness to others with my own encouraging and mindful tweets. I find it very uplifting. Give it a try!
Pinterest is another favorite hangout of mine. I love finding beautiful quotes, new recipes, and scrapbooking inspiration. It’s a great resource for party planning too.
Are you a social media lover? Do you strike a good balance or is it a struggle for you too? I’d love to hear your tips and where you like to connect online. Leave me a comment below.
I am grateful that you chose to spend time here today. Thank you for sharing this moment with me.
If you want to engage more mindfully with your own social media feeds this article and this one have some great tips. I also love the Hands-Free Mama blog.
Such a great post – I recently wrote a post about using technology mindfully because it is still something I struggle with. Ironically, it’s something I’m just now struggling with because I had opted out of social media completely in my personal life. When I started my business last year I began using Twitter and Facebook and the loss of time was overwhelming! Turning off notifications and setting specific times to check social media are helping me, but I’m still having to concentrate greatly on improving :)
Thanks for reading Katy! I’ve been on social media too long and this is my first time really being mindful about it. It is hard. Have you used the Moment app? Eye-opening! =)
We def have some interests in common! I love your blog, you write so eloquently. I’m still working on finding my voice, as well as figuring out what I really want my blog/social media persona to be? What do I want to share? I have tried blogging in the past, but unsuccessfully. I’m really trying to learn the ins and outs, and improve my technical side as well.
I love your suggestions and ideas for mindfulness. That is such a good word.
I also took the Hello Story class, that was a good one, I still reference those notes. And Intention is my OLW this year! Although, it hasn’t been as effective for me yet as some words in the past. But the year is still young, so time to get to it.
I also really started my blog to try to focus more on my ancestry project, have yet to get those posts going.
Thanks for reaching out, you made my day!
Thanks Patti! This is also my second time around trying to blog and for whatever reason I’m enjoying myself a lot more this time. =) The finding your voice thing is so hard! When I’m revising posts I try to think about how I would actually say things “in real life”. Are those the words I would use if I was talking to a friend or is it too formal? That seems to be working much better for me this time around. Can’t wait to see more from your blog! Your design style is beautiful!