Have you ever heard of someone whose alarm goes off in the morning and they wake themselves up by scrolling through other peoples’ perfect Instagram life…oh wait, that’s me. (Oh! You too?).
I dare to ask how you fill your first few minutes of the day. The other morning, I got up before church and had about forty-five minutes until I needed to get dressed, so I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat outside on my balcony. I caught up on texts and then started scrolling through social media. After twenty minutes of mindless scrolling, I had to physically stop myself!!! What?! In my free time, I am admiring other peoples’ best lives and it’s turning my peaceful morning into a (let’s be honest) jealous and now, bitter one. Instead, I turned off my phone, grabbed my notebook and began to write a list of all the things I’m thankful for. Do you know how uplifted and joyful I felt going into the rest of my day?! It was amazing.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I think social media can do awesome things! It can connect different people – people who have similar interests that don’t even know each other. It can also help you get ideas for workouts and lead you to find new studios. My favorite thing about social media is that it keeps me updated with my friends’ lives (and celebrities’ lives too). I know when someone gets a PR at Flywheel, when a friend from high school gets engaged, when my old roommate gets a promotion, and when someone signs up for a 10k, which might motivate me to join them.
I don’t believe that there is anything innately wrong with social media – but it’s the amount and the way that we use it that is worrisome. And trust me, I get on social media daily and often use it for my own benefit! Some people decide to delete it altogether, but I’ve chosen to keep my social media account and attempt to limit the obsession level. Ya feel me?
Lately I’ve been challenging myself to NOT get on social media for the first two hours that I wake up. It has allowed me to begin my day in a way that I choose rather than beginning it with comparison. Here are some practical techniques I’ve come up with to help me maximize my morning time:
-Read
-Pray
-Call a friend
-Actually enjoy your breakfast
-Go on a walk
-Sit outside
-Clean
-Knock off some of your to-do list
-Sleep a few more minutes
These are just a few things that I have done instead of hopping on social media at 6:00am/7:00am. I encourage you to begin each day with something beneficial and uplifting for you. Whatever that might be – do it with joy and use it as a launching pad for your day to pursue your personal goals. You got this!