Today's Coffee: I chose my clear Nespresso branded cup from my cupboard this morning. One whir of my Nespresso machine and the fruity Ice Leggero selection mixed perfectly with the combination of milk and vanilla bean syrup.
Distracted Living: I've been living a distracted life. I say all the time that I don't know what my purpose is. In all honesty though, I am not doing anything to find it. After work, I grab my meal prep, sit on the couch and do nothing productive for the rest of the night. I don't even do simple chores like the dishes or laundry till the weekend. Ick! My phone and social media have both been my distractions. Slowly drawing me in and giving me enough stimulation with each scroll, that I put off what I should be doing.
Emotional Repercussions: The little to no stimulation after work has caused frustration, stress and loneliness. Obsessed with fun reels to watch, catching up on other people's lives, but rarely finding things to enhance mine during the week. I venture out on the weekends for air, but I should be finding balance throughout the week. So today, to help with balance, I vote we put a "death to distractions." Putting away social media and items that don't help me create change in my life.
Desire and Discipline: Don't get me wrong, putting away my distractions is going to be uncomfortable. I'd much rather lean into what's easy and avoid engaging in anything further after work. But then I think about it and know I will eventually enjoy it. Michael Todd said it best:"Desire starts out as discipline." It couldn't be more true. I want to desire a life without social media. I want to want a simple and exciting life. But in order to get there, I have to be disciplined. Like going to the gym every day. Eventually, you will crave it because you have been disciplined and built a foundation.
Reflection: What lead me to thinking about what to do next you ask?I was wandering the trails with a friend of mine. (Shocker, I know.) We wandered through bamboo and valley of tires at Marion Sansom Park in Fort Worth, TX. Two things I did not expect to see in the woods of Texas, but there they both were. We were chatting as usual and had exhausted our standard catch up topics when she asked: "What do you typically do at night after work?" I quickly responded on either scroll on Instagram, watch Netflix, or if I am really crazy, I do both in conjunction together. It doesn't matter that all my social media has been moved over to a folder that says: "Girl no, go to the gym." Two swipes to the right on my home screen, a quick glance at the so boldly named folder and I'm in. Heck, I put a 30-minute timer on my social media, but I hit dismiss and keep scrolling. Yeah, it's an addiction at this point; suckering me in and ebbing away my precious time without any care. I used to feel a little guilty if I scrolled before getting in my steps for the day, but it quickly got pushed aside as I got my endorphin fix for the day. Quite frankly, I'm tired of relying on social media to get a quick fix for the day. I'm almost 30 years old for Pete's sake. You would think I would be able to go one day without scrolling on Instagram. Geeze.
Plan of Attack: So starting tomorrow, lets start it. No Instagram, no Netflix, Hulu, and I'll cancel my prime membership. It's silly that I worry about what I am going to do for entertainment but this isn't the first time I've done a social media and streaming break before and I'm guessing it won't be the last. I said I would write each week and while I technically have a post for each week, I haven't been consistent. I can read, go for a hike, go to live music or write. There's no reason that I can't do this. I've already fixed my gym habits and have been more consistent in my diet and workouts so this is the next layer I am exploring.
Your Turn: I'm curious on what is distracting you in your daily life. Is it dating apps? Scrolling on social media? Whatever it is, there's no judgment here. I am curious, what is it that you have been putting off because it isn't a priority? Time in your religion? Your health? Working on your relationship? Maybe together we can put our distractions away and focus on what we can accomplish this year.
Until next time, stay curious and let's wander-after coffee of course.
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