social media. I have always had a love/ hate relationship with social media. Maybe that’s caused from my personal rebellion to anything that seems contrived, way ive seen it negatively impact self esteem, how it’s used as validation, its time consuming nature, or damage it can cause to romantic relationships. So I decided to spend the first 125 days of 2018 without it, deleting it all off my phone. I wanted to break my habit of checking it automatically, see how it would impact my relationships, and feel what it would be like without it for awhile. During this time I read more than ever before, carrying a book and reaching for it instead of my phone, was way more creatively inspired without the observation of comparisons, didn’t feel the need to document through pictures all the time, was always more present, and didn’t pick up my phone first thing in the morning anymore. BUT there were a lot of things that were hard to realize..like how much impact this would have on my social and dating life, watching relationships I cared about fizzle and learning I was better off without those kind of relationships. Im so grateful I took the time away because from it I realized the problem isn’t social media itself but how we let social media influence our lives, and knowing when/if it becomes damaging in anyway. And coming back on it I was able to really appreciate how social media can be an amazing tool for sharing art, discovery, and connection. SO to all my friends that said “oh I wish I could do that “ or anyone: Spend a week off of it and see what you discover. Start healing your broken heart and stop watching the stories of someone that isn’t worth your time. Pick up a book and get inspired. Have a phone call with someone and ask about their day instead of watching their story. AND tell someone they’re beautiful in person, it means way more than the fire emoji x