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…I am. You should totally try it. In fact, I double dog dare you. It’s been the most mindfully merry week of this year.
One week ago today I decided to take a break from all things social… media that is. I deleted every social app from my phone as an experiment to see how my brain might feel different without the distraction. The result is remarkable. More about that in a minute.
As I may have mentioned previously and will reiterate now, I am a self-admitted over-thinker, lover of all things potentially analyzed. I like to figure things out, ‘get to the bottom of it’ a friend once told me. It is a blessing and a curse. So, no surprise to folks who know me personally, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how thankful I am to have been able to put a little book out into the world that I hope on some level will make a difference in the way young people, and all of us, communicate with one another.
I talk in my book about the importance of balance. Balance can be tough to achieve when you are your own one woman marketing operation, along with being an Actual Housewife in New Jersey (winks) and mom. The FOMO struggle is real people! There is this feeling of needing to “stay relevant”, or of not wanting to miss an opportunity to be noticed by the “right people” or to discuss subjects which I am passionate about. The biggest worry? Setting a good example for my kids.
Realization: “Sophie” is timeless. She is not going anywhere – she’s just getting started. No need to panic (as I calmly wonder if there’s a snowball’s chance in hell the book made it into Kelly Ripa’s hands via her assistant).
Then comes the awareness that there is a different manuscript full of characters that have been patiently awaiting my return for over two years now. Their whispering has become louder and more persistent as of late. Many of the writers I speak to who are self-published struggle with the same issue – how to effectively market and sell your book while managing your time wisely enough to sit down and just. write.
So, after (almost) seven days of self-imposed social detoxification – true confession – I checked in less than a handful of times, not from my phone – here’s what I know:
I miss Facebook the least. I miss Twitter the most. My brain feels relaxed in the most literal sense. I am sleeping better at night and not feeling compelled to look at the phone immediately upon opening my eyes in the morning. There has been a thoughtful un-cluttering.
It is easy to become caught up in feeling the need to capture all of the moments and share them, rather than being truly present to experience them. This is no newsflash, but we see so many people’s lives – the minutiae of it all – played out in our respective news feeds on a daily basis. Think about it. Think about all of the information we’re exposed to on any given day that is completely, all the way unnecessary for us to know, not to mention irrelevant to our own lives. We all know far too much about each other.
Frankly, I’d like to recapture a shred of mystery – you know, go a little retro like this far out Christmas post card via my Grandparents – Studio City, CA circa 1952.
With a New Year upon us, my goal is to reorganize, regroup and simplify, simplify, simplify… and write.
Sending love and best wishes to you all for a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Thanks for stopping by,
ox J. J.
J. J. Cannon 