What is it and why?
Fasting is doing without something, in this case electronic media, for a select period of time. It could be a total media fast for a short time or fasting a specific media area for a longer time. You could even fast a different area of media each day for a week.
We're talking about tv, movies, social media (facebook, twitter, instagram, snapchat, etc), music, video games, cell phones, texting, email, internet, blogs, even radio. We're not talking about print media because not many of us are addicted to newspapers, magazines or children's books. Getting your family to put down their smartphone and pick up a library book would be an awesome thing.
There are a ton of benefits to a media fast such as better sleep, more free time, less stress, reconnecting with others, in other words, better relationships. Just remember, it doesn't have to be a total fast or go forever. For me, personally, I am targeting some important areas, not just the things I need to disconnect from, but also the times that I need to reduce the interruptions and distractions.
My suggestions, if you aren't doing a total media fast:
- Make all mealtimes absolutely media-free, not even cellphones
- If there are kids in your family, make sure to set a media curfew
- If you're married, target some daily one-on-one time for disconnecting from media
- Whatever is the toughest thing to do without is the thing you should most definitely unplug from
A good media fast is one that covers enough area and lasts long enough to help you realize the influence and maybe even the hold that electronic media has on your life, your family and your relationships.
So how about it? Are you up to the challenge?
For more on media fasts, check out the articles at these links:
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