Reflections on Our Media Fast

What a month it's been - it honestly feels like it's been waaay longer than a month without media*. I had no idea how much of my life was consumed by media usage. Every picture or video taken was done so with the thought "oh my gosh, this is going to be so popular on Instagram!", every dinner was eaten in front of the TV while watching an episode of "Parks and Recreation", and every free moment I had during the day was either spent being productive or watching "Jane the Virgin" while simultaneously perusing my Facebook feed (the latter happened more often than the former... like 80/20... ok, 90/10). My life was a constant barrage of media - and I didn't even know how overstimulated I was until I cut it off. The first week was difficult, it just felt weird to sit with my own thoughts and not be constantly distracted. However, by week two I was loving the peaceful moments I was allowed during the day. I also began to notice that the Spirit's presence was stronger than before, when there was a surplus of media usage. I was really able to listen to that still small voice, prompting me during the day and giving me strength beyond my own. Previously, I would justify having the TV on all day because "I'm home alone a lot - it's creepy not hearing anyone's voice for hours and hours". While I still feel this way to an extent, I'm grateful for the experience I had because I learned that the Spirit was a much better companion to my quiet, and sometimes lonely, day than endless amounts of TV. Another benefit of this media fast was being able to spend uninterrupted time with my son. Something I noticed is that he looks at me for reassurance when exploring his world, like, A LOT. Every few seconds he looks back at me to see if I'm watching him. Or, he'll do something new and exciting and look back at me as if to say "did you see that?! I did that!!" How many of those moments did I miss before? How many times did he try to bid for my attention while I was distracted watching something else? It breaks my heart to think of the missed opportunities I had to bond with my son. The good new is that he's 8 months old, so I have plenty of time to make up for it.

Here's my takeaway: media is not innately evil, it's what you do with it (and how often you use it) that defines its role in your life. I'm not going to throw my TV in the dumpster, nor will I revert to using a carrier pigeon as my primary form of communication. BUT, I do hope to use media more wisely and sparingly.

*I should mention that it really turned into no social media at all, and a serious cutback on TV. We still read books and listened to music, and Ky has been playing the occasional video game here and there (much to my disappointment, but what can I say, you win some and you lose some).