It’s been documented in studies. It’s been documented from personal conversations. Social Media is good. However, social media also creates a big problem!

Depression…

Anxiety…

Yet, if I’m honest, I’ve been on social media quite a bit as of late. What we’re experiencing at the moment (COVID-19) is a big event in American History. I was talking to my wife earlier about some of the historical events I’ve seen in my young life.

  1. The attack on 9/11 in 2001
  2. The explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986
  3. Hurricane Harvey in 2017
  4. There was a major ice storm in Illinois when I was growing up. I can’t remember the exact year.
  5. Now we have COVID-19. Lord willing, this will pass.

Last night, I had a great sense of calm. I felt relaxed. I didn’t spend a lot of time on social media.

I’m going to continue that trend today and moving forward. Yes, I am going to post this blog on social media. But I will not be spending a lot of time on it. A brother in Christ named Shane had a great quote (oddly, I saw it on social media). He said, “Never waste a moment of adversity.” Hopefully, I quoted him correctly. In life, there will be moments of adversity. In fact, there were will be a lot of them. The question is, how will we respond to them?

One of the biggest things we’re being told is to have distance between other people. We’re trying our best to follow the guidelines. But what if we also created some social media guidelines. What if, during this moment of crisis we really sat back and consider some things? I often think of Haggai as he spoke to the Israelites and told them to “Consider your ways.” When difficult times come for whatever reason, it’s good for one to consider their ways.

So, below are some thoughts when it comes to distancing yourself from social media. Following these simple tips will greatly reduce your anxiety, improve your productivity (yes, we can still be productive), and allow you to truly connect with loved ones and others (via phone calls).

  1. Never begin or end your day with social media. Rather, begin and end with something more productive. Prayer. Hugging family. Exercise. Journaling.
  2. Delete all social media apps from your phone. You can still go on them, but it will be much more difficult.
  3. Only post positive thoughts on social media. I wish sermons would be shared more. I wish bulletins would be shared more. I wish study videos would be shared more. These will help and uplift others. Positive thoughts and the word of God will help people to stay focused.
  4. Block a certain amount of time for social media. I love using the countdown part of my clock on my iPhone. When you get on social media, time yourself and when that time is up, get off of it.
  5. Consider your ways! What Haggai said to the Israelites is something important for us to consider. How much time are we spending on social media? How much time are we praying? Let’s pray more, and post less.

Social media isn’t going anywhere. One day Lord willing, the virus will be behind us. But will anything change? Will our faith have grown from it? Will our relationships with family be any stronger? Will we have improved in our self-control? The fruit of the Spirit is self-control.

Let us look up to God and pray to Him!

Let us look around at our families and brethren and support them.

Let us distance ourselves from social media and draw closer to God.

God is good and He will provide.