What a Day Without Social Media Did for Me

By Gaby Smith

I recently took part in the human trafficking day of awareness and fasting from social media. I knew this would be particularly challenging for me. I have to admit, I’m on social media a lot. There are times where I force myself to put down my devices when I’m spending quality time with my son, driving and so on. I get my news from social media, I catch up with family and friends, I even do work on Facebook.

Leading up to this day of fasting, the Lord was asking me to fully participate. I was determined to do this. The rules were to abstain from social media for 24 hours, and every time there was an urge to check social media, participants had to pray for victims of human trafficking.

The day finally came. I got up, and the first thing I did was … check social media. I’ve only been awake for 30 minutes, and already I had failed this fast. Realizing what I have just done, I spastically turned off my iPad. Then I realized, our God is a merciful God. I can start fasting now, and that is exactly what I did.

Throughout the day, I abstained from social media. It was great! My family did this as well. What I found is that it forced us to talk! We rested and spent time together. It was like a giant weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

What’s funny is that when I went to pick up my phone, I realized I tried to check Twitter. Before I clicked on the app, I quickly put it down. Instead, I prayed.

Giving up social media for a day taught me to communicate with others, to rest and to pray every time I felt the urge to check a notification.

Challenge yourself for 24 hours and see if you can fast from social media. Every time you feel the urge to check your Facebook notifications, say a prayer for someone. Then, see how you feel at the end of the day. I bet you’ll feel more relaxed.