New Year, New Me

[dark_heroine]

I quit drinking about April-Mayish of last year. I quit social media in October. I am carrying over those two things into the new year. Focusing more on my emotional health, cutting out all the excess noise. Listening more to my body. Someone once said on a podcast, imagine what you want your life to look like in 30 years, and what are you doing now to achieve it. It has stuck with me ever since. I want to be healthy of mind and body. Dementia and Alzheimer's scare the shit out of me. I want to be mobile and body capable but most of all, I want to be at peace with myself.

To say quitting social media has been a life changer, is an understatement. I'm a rather healthy 45-year-old woman. Never been seriously ill. I eat healthy, sticking mostly to all the meats and cheeses I can stuff down my gullet. I exercise 4-5 times a week. Dabble is some trail running and have even ran a few trail races over the years.

Since quitting social media, I have a whole lot more time to read. Since October, I have read 7 books, and I am on my second book since the beginning of the January, and I will probably finish it this weekend. The Blacktongue Thief has been enjoyable to read.

In a silly way, I had forgotten how much I enjoy reading. Staring at a tiny screen in my hand, doom scrolling and watching people slurp down food, tell you what to eat, how to exercise and how to think, feel and act felt normal until I stopped doing it. How silly I was. I have re-ignited the passion for reading, getting caught up and swept away by a book. Needless to say, I have read every day since October, and I am never looking back.

Comments

[femgoroth]

Hey there, just added you. Feel free to add me back or no, no worries either way!

This is all good stuff. I have radically altered my relationship with social media as well. I can't leave it entirely because of my bands, but I have mitigated it significantly, especially once I became aware of how much I was being told what to eat and how to exercise and what my body is supposed to look like. The pursuit of strength training and being insanely muscled started to feel like the same noise around being insanely skinny--it's all your time and resources to maintaining that! I went in search of how to add strength training correctly to my life to support my life, not become my life. Gah.

Glad your reading is up, that's awesome.

[dark_heroine]

That's how it started for me, the socials, cutting back. I turned off all notifications from everything until one day, I was watching some random person slurp down some ramen noodles, and my head pop up and I stared at the wall and the thought of "wtf am I doing?" reverberated in my mind. That was the day I deleted all my apps. They have stayed deleted.

I can understand that completely removing yourself is not realistic for you. A Band? or Bands? Do tell!

[alefy]

It is amazing to realise how long an hour actually is when we’re not doomscrolling!

Hello, found you from addme :)

[death_beat]

I will not drink with you today friend. :) Quitting drinking was the best life changing decision for me and I still don't miss it after over 9 years sober.

I quit social media for a few years in the past and felt more peace of mind. I ended up coming back for family and friends but it's still garbage as usual. I am transitioning away from it completely and am planning on deleting it soon...You inspire me to stick to my plan of getting rid of it completely the end of this month. My friends have been warned for a few months there anyway.

To reading more. ::cheers with a book::

[dark_heroine]

Indeed! I love it so much more than my phone! Added you back! :)

[dark_heroine]

Please do stick with it! When your nervous system goes back to baseline and you can think more clearly, and breath and be in the present moment, the shift is amazing! My sense of wonder is back, with music, movies, and books.

Cheers my new friend!