Ever feel like your drowning in stuff. Literal stuff, because let’s face it Daddy Moo is a hoarder and life stuff. The internet has enabled me to start a business from home around the children, make virtual and real-life friends, write a book but it’s also in my hand 24/7. I wonder how much of “the great brain fog of 2018” is due to social media?
Switching Off :
This October half term we escaped away for a much needed break. Andrewshayes is the perfect spot to escape the hustle and bustle of the world, our mobile phones and technology. The site itself is nestled in an area of outstanding natural beauty on the edge of the Blackdown Hills near Axminster in East Devon, making it easily accessible to the both Devon and Dorset hot spots.
Porridge on the veranda after collecting a few apples from the tree opposite (made an apple cake with those when we got home!)
WiFi was available in our caravan for a small service charge which I decided to forgo in favour of trying to build a 1000 piece Where’s Wally puzzle and watch a documentary about a crisp factory. The children admittedly loved me not having a phone or tablet attached to my hand, fully engrossed in technology because you know I’m “working”. That’s not to say I didn’t hook up to free WiFi spots in order to check my emails which literally using the 4D technique takes minutes and post on social media although most of my content had been pre-scheduled it’s nice to add an in the moment post. But I worried less about likes and comments and more about well nothing and that’s why Charlie was running around in the sea in his clothes (even though the beachwear was in the car) because you can’t fake those smiles.
Is Social Media a Drain On My Brain? :
During our time away I also made a real dent in a book, whilst supervising the children’s swimming pool play, how is it they are never tired? I think I spend the majority of the time actually exhausted by watching these never-ending bundles of energy. Other facilities on the Andrewshayes site include a restaurant/bar and games room where Charlie got to practice his pool skills. Why do we spend so much time worrying about likes, follower numbers and if everyone has seen my dinner? For my birthday I received Matt Haig’s book “Notes on a Nervous Planet” and I literally feel like this book was written for me. It looks at how to stay sane in an ever increasingly crazy, technological world. I’ve made no secret this year of feeling like I have got a mental fog and I’m beginning to realise that social media is the problem. I can’t stop watching and thinking about hitting 3,000 likes on Facebook! 3 of my #40before40 list are social media based!
26. Have a YouTube Video Go Viral : Which would actually require me to create some video content in order for it too, you know go viral! So I’d hang back until 2020 for this one. In the meantime check out my channel here : YouTube Joanne Dewberry Apparently that’s a million views in a 3 day period. OMG!
27. Hit 10,000 followers on ONE of my social media platforms : So my Twitter account is currently at 7500 so the closest to 10,000 if you’re reading this make sure you are following : Twitter CharlieMoos
37. Wikipedia Page : I’d love to have my own Wikipedia Page! Imagine that when someone searches my name! Having a Wikipedia page would make me a big deal 😉 I’m not sure of the ins and outs of this one so this might be a 2020 thing too!
I’m not even sure that these things will enrich my life? I just know they have thus so far eluded me and the more I think about it the more I want 10,000 people to follow me on one platform and to hit 3,000 Facebook followers! There is no reason probably more than FOMO (fear of missing out!).
4 Ways to Reduce Your Social Media Use :
Charlie and Olive enjoying trying to skim rocks in the sea at Charmouth Beach. This is an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the beach is world renowned for its fossils. We found zero fossils! Charmouth is 15 minutes from Andrewshayes.
- Embrace the Quiet : We are so good at feeling like we should be always doing something, we run around at 1000mph and never stop to do nothing. I am literally going to spend more time in 2019 doing nothing. Relax, enjoy the simple things like throwing rocks into the sea. Watching the birds feeding in the garden. Social media makes us feel like we need to share all of our experiences with everyone but do you know what we don’t …. leave the phone alone!
- Read Real Books : Using devices to read books means you never disengage from your online life. Reading physical books, requires you to actively put the phone down.
- Get Outside : Whether that be for a walk, or just sitting in your garden for a coffee, I’ll say it again as it doesn’t get boring – being outside has restorative properties, reducing stress, clearing your mind, feel at one with nature, absorb the positive energy of trees and cleanse from the inside out.
- Write It Down : Keep a journal, the act of writing things down, colouring in, doodling acts like mind meditation installing peace and tranquillity. Therapeutic and also a great way to keep yourself organised.
So who is with me? Who is going to start using their phones and devises less and start enjoying life a bit more? How about we #ShareLessEnjoyMore ?
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