When You Take Away, You Must Add!

Several months ago, I did a 33 day social media fast. It was a powerful spiritual exercise for me.

Since getting back on, I have found my habit to be as bad as it ever was. I have gotten increasingly discontent and moody, and I attribute one of the causes to be too much time on my phone.

My daughter recently told me that she has a counter on her phone that lets her see how many times she has picked up her phone. Last week it was 361 times.

Oh. my. GOSH!

But I am no better. She has inspired me to put my phone down!

In the spirit of Lent, I am going to begin another fast. Not a complete boycott of social media, but a very strict policy of NO MORE than 10 minutes a day.

I realize that whenever I give something up, in any area or any capacity, I MUST replace it with something else. Take away a negative and you will not succeed; you will just leave a void.

In recovery I've learned that you must replace a bad habit with a good one or you are likely to keep failing.

My last fast, I replaced social media with more reading, writing, and praying.

This time around, I still have those things in place, but I will be adding yoga. I have known for a long time how beneficial yoga is for my physical and mental health. But I don't do it.

This is my vow to myself. Less phone, more health.

Are you giving up anything for Lent?

I strongly recommend it. It does wonders for my connection to God and myself. I know it will for you, too!