Follow my journey of my 7 Day Facebook Fast. When you get those hard to ignore nudges from the Universe do you use your intuition and follow them or do you let them go by the wayside? I recently created a new intention for my business and within hours I received some very clear instructions on what to do next.
The instructions from my Guide team came through very clear. Go on a 7-Day Facebook fast. Ugh! So, how clear is clear? How about 30 nudges in 4-5 hours? Yeah, time to pay attention! I had created a new intention and with that comes shifts you have to make. They also had two other pieces for me to implement – incorporate a salad every day for 7 days straight and also go for a walk every day for 7 days.
At first, when I asked my Guide team to clarify the “why” part of this, I received a vague response and told this is what I needed to do next. I just had to trust the process without knowing where it would lead. So, I gave it some thought and realized just how strong the message was. I decided fairly quickly I had better follow the instructions. Something big seemed to be sitting there and I had better pay attention.
7 Day Facebook Fast
Day One: I missed Facebook slightly just at a few certain points during the day. It has been my go-to mini-break for some time. I did think I would miss it more than I did. I found myself reading a book in the evening rather than being on the computer. I also had a lot more time available for working on projects during the day. Frequent checking social media does add up to a lot of minutes and hours. Later in the evening, I found myself perusing Twitter and Pinterest, two sites I hadn’t visited in a long time.
Day Two: I experienced a few points where I felt a little resentful not getting to keep up to date with what was going on with my friends. I try to stay off Facebook Friday evenings as this is family time, so it didn’t bother me too much today.
Days Three and Four: Sigh.. starting to get a little bit annoyed and grouchy at this point. I remembered I could access Facebook on my Iphone and gave some thought to the temptation, but I did resist.
When I asked again what this was all about half-way through the 7 days, my Guide team finally started giving me some answers. They had given me 3 fairly easy things to do for seven days- get off Facebook, go for a walk each day, and eat a salad each day. They told me in order to manifest my intention, I needed to work on commitment. Basically, what they were telling me was if I couldn’t commit to small actions like these for 7 days, how would I be able to commit to a longer term project?
They discussed developing confidence so I would have the level of commitment needed to complete my intention. So, that sounds exciting and we will see what comes down the line. They also told me I was using Facebook as a way to avoid connecting with myself. They said this was a time where knowing myself at a deeper level was needed in order to formulate a new product I have been considering launching.
Day Five: I realized my Guide team was correct when they said I was using Facebook as an avoidance mechanism. So far so good though. I have followed through on everything.
Day Six: Okay, this whole thing is getting a bit old. I was almost there, but it would have been so easy to say forget it. Almost there. Boy, do I miss social media…I was surprised how reliant on I am on it. Yikes, I almost forgot my salad today.
Day Seven: The last day…I got this! I can do it!
So, I made it. I got through the seven days and stayed off Facebook, ate a salad every day, and went for a walk every day. And you know what? I was pretty proud of myself! The whole exercise actually gave me a lot more self-confidence that I had the stamina to complete these upcoming projects. Did I particularly like it? No, not really. It did give me a good amount of insight on where my priorities needed to be focused. In the weeks since, I have found myself staying off social media much more than before. I have been able to take that extra time and apply it to my business.
Ever done anything like this? Did you make it? What did you take away from your experience? Leave a message in the comments below.
This was good for me to read ..I have been getting lots of nudges to not watch so much TV and be on the computer…so starting today I’m going to do the salads, walk, and Violet Flames….Thanks so much…will update you in 7 days…just looked at the time there the 33 numbers…. Again thank you!
Hi Patricia,
Go for it! You can do it! Just be very clear about how many less hours you are going to be away from TV or the computer. Set actual times to step away, like from 5:30-7:30 no technology, or something like that. I find being very specific helps you in your level of commitment.
I find myself taking plenty of Facebook breaks. Now I know its my intuition telling me that I need to. I find that when I take these breaks, I feel so much lighter while off of it and doing other things like reading or working on my self care. I think I feel another one coming up. Thank you for this !
You are welcome Nadine! It is amazing how attached we can get to social media sometimes. I wish you the best!
Hey,
I have just last week gone through the same thing! I’ve done something similar before, so I knew from the start that it was a spiritual practice for commitment and sticking to the plan – and actually staying off Facebook was a sidekick to my more demanding project: to retreat to solitude at home, for 6 days without one single scheduled appointment or meeting. It worked, and I first of all got to go through both internal & external stuff (spill some tears that needed to be spilled, apparently, and clean up files & piles at home) and secondly, I uncorked another wave of creativity and thirdly, found myself coming out happier at the other end of the project – a lot of course only from being able to commit!
My first (concsiously created) experience with this was when I in 2008 or 2009 I did something I came to call an “information diet” which consisted of me being allowed to read nothing anywhere, and be online for only 15 minutes a day.. I don’t remember for how long; it must have been a week at least as it eventually became a joy and almost necessity. After this cleanse/detox I started writining poems (channeling them, more accurately), and then some time after that these poems turned into songs… which some time later led my life partner to find me… So. Yeah.
😀
Staying off/away from input allows that inner well to fill up in quite a different manner (at least to my experience). And after my social AND social media retreat last week, I find it a bit easier to stay focused, to hear myself that little bit better again. In my opinion irregularly regular media fasts are a very good addition to healthy living. It somehow, at least for me, also diminished my assumption that the world will stop turning if I’m not there to turn it. Turned out it doesn’t. Phew! 😉
And btw, thanks for a nice site & nice work!
I first came across you when looking for meaning of repeating numbers a couple of years ago… and yes, they are still messaging me, those numeric angels. 🙂
Hi Minna,
Thank you for sharing your experiences! I was glad to find out that the world had not stopped turning. 🙂
I actually got the message to stay off of my personal FB Page for a month. So July 1st I stopped checking it, using my iPad app to log only onto my Fan Pages to post about 3 x a week. I never missed it like I thought I would. Like you, I was spending (wasting) a lot of time reading posts, reacting, sharing, and posting and to what end? I was becoming frustrated, angry at some of the posts I felt were ill considered, offensive and/or in complete disagreement with what I stood for. I was very ready to walk away for a month and now that my month is almost up, I really do not have any strong desire to return to my personal pages. In my time away I have been able to organize my office, I’ve read several books for pleasure I’d been meaning to get to and because I kept my energy clear of the negativity I was absorbing off of FB, I had a significant spiritual download from Archangel Raphael for a Self Healing Meditation that has been my daily focus. This has spread to my intolerance of watching television programs that do not bring me 3 things – Did it make me laugh or feel good about the story? Was there any value to my spending the time watching the program? Was my life enhanced in any way shape or form from watching? I’ve unplugged from a lot of television by not being able to answer yes to all 3.
Hi Susan,
Thank you for sharing! I love the three questions for television watching. I can think of quite a few programs that wouldn’t make the cut.
I’ve been off Facebook for 2 1/2 years. After I found out about what they were really about, I decided to jump ship. At first I missed it but that eventually passed. Sadly, I lost connection with some people. However, I have had a more enriching experience with people outside of social media and hardly anyone asks me if I have a Facebook account. Interestingly, most people I talk to either don’t have a social media account or they have one and don’t check it. My life is just fine without it. I figure, I lived my whole life sans 4 years without and I can go the rest of my life without it too.
Hi Jacob,
I appreciate you comment. It does make me remember what it was like in the years before Facebook. Yes, I got along just fine before. 🙂
Hi guys,
I have also been thinking about life before social media. Now 35, I grew up without internet in general and I’m really quite happy about knowing life both before it and after it.
I find it interesting (and kind of re-assuring), how certain things just become quite uninteresting as soon as they are off the radar. What comes to using or not using something, mostly it really seems to be about decision making, and how aligned with(in) and invested I am in the process.
Having said that, I haven’t had a TV in my household for fifteen years now (which doesn’t mean I never watch it or movies or cute kittens on youtube), and I can’t recall it being about anything else than me not being interested in investing a TV and pretty soon finding out I can manage without one. Then again – times were different in, say, 1999. Ah, being alive is the magic!! (to quote The Secret Garden) 🙂