First Social Media Cleanse and Next

My first social media cleanse and preparing for my next...

Maybe about two months ago I removed all my social media from my phone just to really focus on learning Italian and to live more in the moment here. I hated the idea of pulling out my phone every time I got a little bored. I wanted to deepen my relationship with others and also spend more time reflecting on myself. I wanted to refocus on the reason why I decided and worked hard to come on this exchange in the first place. Let me tell you, it worked. 

I did this for about a month or a month and a half. The only things I kept were language related apps and a reading app. During the time, I was able to study more Italian, have quiet time, sleep, and I developed a greater desire to go out and do things in my town. At this time, it was still very very cold so I hated going outside, but sometimes I would suffer through just to spend some time with friends. I was able to spend my inside free time researching topics I was curious about (being exposed to so many people from different cultures has my my brain wonder about many different topics) and learn a good amount of Italian grammar. Overall, I just felt so liberated and calm about it. Not too long after, I didn't even feel the need to stay updated on every single person. I truly enjoyed it.

I really started to notice a difference when I kept getting compliments on how much I had improved my Italian. I was so happy and content about the progress I made. Then, maybe two weeks ago, I got a text from another AFS USA student saying how much everyone missed me on our little group chat. The only problem was that the group chat was on Snapchat, which I didn't have anymore. So since I improved so much I decided to let myself have my social media back for a while. Although it had been fun, I'm back at the start where I feel very distant and distracted by it. Also I feel that my improvement with Italian has plateaued.

So today I have deleted then once again and hopefully I will continue my mental and spiritual growth. However this time, I have decided to keep two reading apps and my news app also. I'm excited to see how well this "cleanse" will turn out this time.

If you have any questions or comments just leave them in the comment or e-mail me directly. :)
Imogen Wyatt