Heather Bowcutt
Blogger at KidsEmail.org
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I’ve done it.  You’ve done it.  We’ve all done it.  January 1st hits us like a brutal awakening as we realize our pants are fitting just a little too tight.  The inevitable New Year’s Resolution to loose weight goes viral and we focus on burning those extra calories, cutting out sweets, and drinking gallons of water only to fall off the horse sometime in February.  Yes, it’s the New Year’s diet that comes and goes every year.

During the most recent holiday season, I personally decided to go on a different sort of diet. Maybe it was to keep my sanity while my kids were out of school for two weeks, or maybe it was a form of self preservation. Who knows really?  The diet started out unintentional, then ended up working into a bit of a game. But this particular diet may be a game changer this year.

I’d been noticing that when surfing through my various forms of social media, I was getting irritated.  Scratch that.  I was getting angry.  Okay, lets be real.  I was getting so angry at what my “friends/following” were posting that I couldn’t think!  I’d be riled up over trivial nonsense that had NO affect on me personally at all.  I’d carry that frustration throughout the day, making my temper short and my senses too sensitive.

A short fuse within myself, coupled with 4 kids do NOT go together.  So I took a break.  I took a break from social media and set aside my laptop, along with my smart phone, and avoided the inevitable social media drama for two weeks.

During this hiatus, I noticed several things happen.

First, I was more patient with my kids.  When they talked to me I was present, not looking at my phone as often. I really focused my mind on them and what they needed.

Second, I had less drama.  I realized at least a small portion of the drama that comes into my house can be avoided if I avoid reading social media as often. Win!

Third, I got SO much done! I read a book I’d been meaning to and enjoyed catching up on odds and ends I just never get to otherwise.  AND my kids and I were able to enjoy board games, together.  Another win.

After the small break from social media, I got back on.  Call it relapse I suppose.  When the kids went back to school and our everyday routine organically flowed once more, I found myself easily surfing from platform to platform. It’s going to take dedication to set limits for myself on this diet, just like any diet or anything we want to positively change in our lives. I honestly was more content without social media for that short time, and I’d like to stick with my new diet for this next year.  It’ll take some discipline, but knowing how I felt, and how I interacted with my family, taking social media in very small doses will definitely be a net positive in my life.

Wish me luck!

About Heather Bowcutt

Heather is the is the primary author of the Kids Email blog, where she offers safety and parenting tips, for when the kids are online and off.

View all posts by Heather Bowcutt here.

About Kids Email

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