Facetime

I’ve just watched a youtube clip at the end of this blog and realised that alot of it could apply to me. Since quitting my job last year and starting college I’ve been working from home alot and spending time chatting on Facebook has been a lifeline. However I’ve also got a bit too reliant on my phone for everything. So I end up constantly checking it for messages, not just texts but emails, What’s App, voicemail, Facebook alerts, Twitter, I can literally lose hours without really knowing what I’ve done with my time. When my phone was out of action I was like some kind of addict, waiting for my next fix!

I know alot of my friends feel the same but are too embarressed to admit it! Also I know friends who hate how their lives don’t measure up to the Facebook status of someone they went to school with, their ex-colleague who has won an award, their mum’s fantastic holiday, all these things can wear down your self-esteem if they coincide with a really boring day at work or the kids having a big bust-up. That’s why it’s good to take a holiday from social media every so often, sadly most of us can’t switch off entirely but it’s about how much you rely on an alert popping up to distract you from the housework, the homework the kids need to do, the conversation you should have with your spouse, the prayers you could be committed to doing every day.

So for Lent I’m not sharing on Facebook, I’ve deleted Candy Crush (Again!) and I’m trying to remember what it’s like to sit in a room waiting for someone and just stare at the walls, without looking to my phone to keep me company. I’m going to switch off my phone before a lecture starts, and I’m looking forward to a retreat in a few weeks when on my course we get to be silent for 48 hours ( never thought I’d say that!)

I’m also going to try and get in touch with as many people as possible to have real conversations. I know it’s hard to fit in, but a chat on the phone, or a cup of coffee, or just remembering to ask about someone’s family member are really important in life, and it’s so easy to neglect all this, if an important deadline looms, or a great photo selfie opportunity arrives they can easily get put off !

So I’ll be updating on here how I get on, but in the meantime I wish you all a happy Lent…. picture courtesy of http://nataliewarnert.com