“Putting Our Phones Down” by Jasmine Morris
I’m passionate about mental health, social media, balance, and living a whole life. While I don’t know everything, I want to share a few of the things I’ve learned along the way. I believe I lived in deception for years about my overall health. Depression, anxiety, and so much more have been injected into my life. But Jesus is a chain breaker, He is my everything, and He literally came to set us free. I’m becoming more and more free day by day by His grace. I’m not just jumping on some bandwagon, it’s been a real struggle in my life for years.
Many people have asked me about balancing social media and real life. I think it is important to start in this place because so many people get lost in their phones (myself included) and I don’t think we realize how detrimental it is to our spiritual growth and overall health. I don’t believe Social Media itself is the issue, but I do believe if not used in a healthy way, it can trigger certain emotions and possibly lead to depression, anxiety, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I love social media. I use it to display the words that God gives me and to share real life, but I HAVE to set up boundaries in order to ensure I’m protecting my own joy, peace, and freedom. I believe the Spirit of God is drawing on this generations’ hearts to really live in the NOW and really be present…that requires putting our phones DOWN sometimes.
Here are five different ways I balance social media and real life.
1. I choose to limit my social media interactions to a few times a day. I try to be really intentional about my time on social media. If I am posting something online, I want to make sure I post and get off immediately. Then, I try to choose 2-3 more times that I will get on and interact with you guys in the comments, engage with other posts, etc. I find that scrolling for hours (without any purpose) is really bad for me and leads to comparison. (Hey, I’m just being honest.)
2. I make sure I get off of social media before my night time routine begins. My time is precious. Your time is precious. I really want to focus on reading my books, going over scripture, pampering myself, preparing for the next day, etc. Try it, it’s much healthier.
3. When I do post, I remember my validation comes from Christ and not man. Galatians 1:10 says, “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (NIV) I don’t ever want the comments or likes from others make me more confident. Christ makes me confident, so I try to guard my heart and drink from the right Well.
4. I only follow positive accounts. Y’all, who you follow matters. First of all, if they aren’t glorifying God, I don’t want to follow. Period. But I also want to follow people who I’m inspired by, those who will challenge me, friends, family, etc. I try to be intentional about what I’m looking at…that’s super important.
5. I make sure that I get around COMMUNITY. This is probably the most important one of them all. I cannot explain how loneliness will try to creep into our hearts. I once heard a pastor say that you can have 70,000 followers online, but have 0 healthy friendships. That reality scared me. It challenged me to think, “wait, do I really have healthy friends outside of this social media world?” It takes INTENTIONAL work to maintain real friendships. I don’t want to Direct Message my friends all day, I want to sit at coffee and chat or cry at a worship service together. This is TRUE community. Doing life together. That’s what this whole walk is about. Having real community will alleviate stress and allow you to not feel the pressure of trying to please a bunch of random people online. You will see that you are valued, loved and seen by REAL people in your life and that will be enough.
More than these things, our worth should come from Christ and Christ alone. You are His beloved. His beautiful craftsmanship and He ADORES you. At the end of the day, we should really listen to the Spirit of God drawing on our hearts to live in the now. It’s so, so, so key to our freedom and joy. These are just some of MY ways to balance social media, but I definitely have moments where I delete all my social apps completely. How do you balance social media + real life?
About the Author ~ Jasmine Morris
I am restored. I am redeemed and I am a daughter of the King. My name is Jasmine. Germany is my birthplace, and I’ve lived in Virginia, Texas, Hawaii, Alabama, and Atlanta. I’ve traveled the world as my dad served in the military for over twenty years. I am a worship leader, a writer and someone who loves creating. I decided to live my life out loud after many years of living in silence due to fear, pain and believing the lies of the enemy. Deciding to live out loud and boldly, only came from encountering my Father’s love. His love changed everything for me and gave me permission to become who I am today.
My story is anything but perfect. I grew up in a broken home, gave into toxic relationships, and pursued all the wrong things until I encountered the Living Well, Jesus. I gave my life to Jesus on my bathroom floor in 2013 and my life hasn’t been the same since. He opened my eyes to a life that I thought I could never experience before and introduced me to a life filled with grace and freedom. My brokenness met His healing hands and He turned it into beauty. I’m so thankful for this kind of love! I’m living proof that God can restore anybody (yes, anybody) – and I will forever shout it from the mountain tops that my God truly saves!
Follow Jasmine Morris, author of Returning Home: Inviting daughters back to the Father, at her website www.nosweetername.com.
Leave a Reply