Tips for Keeping a Social Media Sabbath
Cuddling. Yeah, cuddling. Did you know that using social networks produce the same chemical in your brain as “spooning”?
Sometimes referred to as the “cuddle†chemical, oxytocin  a hormone produced in the brain  stimulates feelings of trust and security, reduces anxiety levels and may even produce positive sexual side effects. It sounds like a miracle drug, so how does one get their hands on it? Perhaps, simply by tweeting.
ChurchCrunch recently did a post that features a short video from Chris Brogan. Chris asks the question, “Are you connecting [on the social web] just to connect, or do you have a purpose?” In other words, it’s really easy to mindlessly shuffle from social network to social network, getting the “high” of connection with no real purpose.
I want to make sure I’m using social networks and they’re not using me. Social networks make my life better and easier by enriching and opening relationships. They become toxic when I become so entrenched, so addicted to the “cuddling high”, that I forsake the flesh-and-blood reality that sits directly in front of my face. For anyone who spends a moderate amount of time on the social Web, you know the temptation this can become.
That’s a problem. In light of this reality, here’s how I’m making efforts to keep a healthy distance between myself and the social web. Here’s how I’m making sure I use the social web and it doesn’t use me:
- Social media sabbatical. I’ve talked about this before, but I take a 24-hour break from social media every week. From Saturday night to Sunday night, I refrain from Twitter, Facebook, blogging, texting. I also significantly reduce the amount of time I spend on the Web during this weekly sabbatical.
- Limited use when I’m at home. When I’m at home with my family, I want to be at home with my family. Not somewhere in the social web stratosphere, mindlessly hitting “refresh” and getting the high.
- Yearly silence retreat. My wife recently gave me the gift of silence. She set up a weekend retreat at a place in northern Minnesota. No Internet, no cell phone, no laptops … Nothing. Nothing but me, nature and the Holy Spirit. Bliss. I’ll be going for the first time in December, but I want to make this a yearly thing. Charge the batteries. Disconnect. Reconnect. Silence. If you’ve been “hooked up” for sometime without end, maybe it’s time for you to consider the same?
It’s a start. If I can keep this rhythym of “pause” going, little breaks here and there, I’m positive the benefits will be 10, 100, even 1,000-fold over time. It just takes a little bit of discipline. Discipline that I need.
What about you? Do you have any strategies for keeping yourself from going “over the edge” on the social Web? If you don’t, Leo over at Zen Habits has a great list that could help you get started. Check it out when you get a chance. Otherwise, share what you’re doing in the comments below.
I just started taking a break every Tuesday. I call it Social Media Fast Tuesdays. So many people use that day to fast food. It is very hard for me to fast food, so I fast Twitter and Facebook, and any others I'm into that week.
I took a social media fast (f'book and twitter) for the first couple weeks of June. Checking those sites had become part of a routine, and I sensed (thanks to the Holy Spirit) that my focus needed to be pointed elsewhere.
As with everything in our lives, keeping a balance on how we spend our time is crucial.
Blessings on your day!
Thanks Mike. What was the biggest insight you took away after those first couple of weeks in June?
Ooh. That's awesome. I'm the same way with food … Nearly impossible to fast from food without big-time ramifications.
I love taking a break every now and again. I sometimes hope that I'll get a bunch of great blogging ideas, which never happens. But I find that I always come back refreshed and my brain suddenly comes up with lots of ideas when I turn the blogging back on. Interesting about the chemical side effects of social networking. I guess it really does impede our ability to interact with others. If Twitter is biologically the same as spooning, it's no wonder we get so addicted!
Yesh. So true. I truly appreciate the connections I've made through social media–personal and professional, but when you start losing touch with the non-virtual world, it's time to take a break.
This was a great article. Taking breaks from Twitter and Facebook have proved invaluable in my marriage, let alone other friendships. I try to take at least large portions of Saturdays and Sundays off of social media sites just to gather my brain and ideas and to breathe a sigh of relief.
Speaking of taking a break from social media… Could you delete the previous comment because I logged in as the wrong account… ugh.
I love taking a break every now and again. I sometimes hope that I'll get a bunch of great blogging ideas, which never happens. But I find that I always come back refreshed and my brain suddenly comes up with lots of ideas when I turn the blogging back on. Interesting about the chemical side effects of social networking. I guess it really does impede our ability to interact with others. If Twitter is biologically the same as spooning, it's no wonder we get so addicted!
Yesh. So true. I truly appreciate the connections I've made through social media–personal and professional, but when you start losing touch with the non-virtual world, it's time to take a break.
This was a great article.
Speaking of taking a break from social media… Could you delete the previous comment because I logged in as the wrong account… ugh.