A bit of me back

by John Wyatt

My phone tells me I spend hours a day on social media.

Like, actual hours.

And I had no idea. I don’t even remember opening the apps half the time. Seeing those numbers properly scared me. So for Lent, I’ve been abstaining from social media.

Not because it’s evil or sinful—Instagram hasn’t sent me off the rails—but because it quietly became something I felt like I needed. What started as a want turned into a habit, and that habit started messing with my mind and time.

I knew things were bad when I caught myself scrolling on the settings app.

That’s when you know you’re down bad.

But here’s the weird part—since stepping away, I’ve noticed something. My brain’s had time to get bored. And boredom’s opened the door to better stuff. I’ve been going on bike rides with my wife which we haven’t done in 7 years. I’ve had more energy in the evenings. I’ve started making music again, something I love deeply but never seemed to have time for.

Abstinence is all about giving up something we want, like social media, chocolate, coffee, or TV.

But I’ve realised—some of the things we want can get in the way of what we really love. I didn’t give up Instagram just to feel smug. I gave it up because I suspected that it was stealing my time and my life and I was right. In giving up social media for lent, which isn't that long in reality, I feel as though I’ve got my evenings back. I got my creativity back.

I got a bit of me back.

Social media isn’t sinful. But is being addicted and letting it steal your time and your life?... Maybe. 1 Peter 2:11 says that sinful desires wage war against our soul. Sometimes normal, everyday desires—completely fine in themselves—can become something that pulls us away from God, people, and who we want to be.

Abstinence isn’t just about cutting stuff out. It’s about resetting our relationship with it. That might be forever, or just for 40 days. Either way, if you suspect something is stealing your time or your life, why not give abstinence a go?