Abstaining from Social Media during Lent

Greetings and Happy Wednesday! I'm back from what was an awesome vacation in Mexico!  It went way too fast, as I knew it would!  I was ready to get back to normal eating habits but I was very sad to leave the sand, sun, and surf! I'll share more about my trip later this week or next week when I get caught up on life.

Today is Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of the Lenten season for Christians. As a Catholic, I've always given something up for Lent, from alcohol to sweets to soda to TV.  It feels weird to say this, but I kind of enjoy the season of Lent because it forces me to work on saying no to myself which results in personal growth. I know that some of the things I have given up over time are petty but it's still a good exercise to say no to small things over the course of 6 weeks.

This year I have decided to give up social media for Lent - namely, Facebook and Instagram. While I enjoy keeping up with what others are doing, I also recognize that these platforms are a HUGE time suck for me as I spend waaaaaaay too much time on these aps, especially on my phone. Plus, as I mentioned in my 7 lessons in 35 years post, comparison is something I try to avoid and Facebook and Instagram makes this harder as you are constantly seeing the highlights of others' lives.

Last night I deactivated my profiles on both sites and I deleted both aps off my phone.  It's been a long time since I've taken a break from social media so I am looking forward to seeing how I feel at the end of Lent.

I do plan to continue to blog and read blogs over the next 6 weeks as I personally don't consider blogging to be a form of social media. I am sure some may consider this 'cheating' but blogging has such a positive influence on my life and it allows me to stay connected with far away friends so I am going to keep writing in this space.

Do you observe the Lenten season? If so, are you giving anything up this year?

'Tis the Season of Sacrifice

As many of you know, today is Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of the season of Lent.  For those who are not familiar with this season, it is a 40-day periods during which Christians all over the world will prepare for the celebration of Easter.  It is meant to be a time of sacrifice, prayer, and almsgiving (which is a fancy word for giving to those less fortunate, either financially or by volunteering). 

I went back and forth as to what I should do this year.  I honestly don't feel like I have many indulgences in my life.  I rarely clothes shop, I don't eat sweets often, and I don't drink alcohol very regularly.  Initially I thought about focusing on doing something extra, like going to daily mass once a week and praying the rosary instead of giving something up as I just couldn't think of anything that would be challenging enough.

And then I thought of something really challenging to give up yesterday.  For the next 40 days, I am going to give up using my phone during work hours.  I know that may not sound like much of a challenge to some people, but I am really bad about checking my phone constantly obsessively. Now, since I am in the midst of a move, I am going to let myself check my phone for 5 minutes over lunch to make sure I haven't missed any important phone calls or emails regarding my move, but besides that, I will not be using my phone between the hours of 7 am and 4:30 pm each day.

I know this will be challenging for me, which is what Lent is supposed to be all about!  In addition to this, I still want to try to get to a daily mass each week, which is feasible since there is a Catholic church that is just over a block away from work so I can easily go before work or over lunch.

On a unrelated note, the fact that Lent starts today makes my move seem really soon as I will pack up and move the week after Easter.  Eeks!

If you observe Lent, what will you be giving up this year?  Would it be difficult for you to stop using your phone during the day?