The Dream Inspo.

The Life You Deserve

I Took a Social Media Detox, Here’s What I Learned

There’s a lot we can gain by being on social media. However, there are a lot of social media detox benefits.

Recently, I took a few days away from social media. What exactly does this mean? Well, I didn’t open the apps of Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, which are my usual go-to instant social platforms. Instead, I used the time I would spend on each app working on my brand, resting, and finding out what needs to go in my life.

Why did I take a social media detox?

If you have an iPhone, there’s a recent feature added that gives you a phone usage report. I noticed a massive increase in my time on my device, and the leading apps I spent my time on was social media platforms. Honestly, the percentage of time spent on each app was embarrassing. Yes, since my career is in media, I spend a lot of time on social media looking for news stories, engaging in content discussion, etc. And, I could’ve used this as an excuse for the amount of time spent. But, being honest with yourself is a part of growing. So, I knew I had a real issue.

Since I intend on improving my life this year, I was aware that this detox was imperative, and I was ready to make a change.

social media detox
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Here’s what I learned during my social media detox

I regained the urge to go out and have fun.

In just those few days, I felt the urge to go out into the real world and enjoy the beautiful streets of my city. Social media took up a lot of my time, which eventually made me lazy. I didn’t want to go anywhere after finishing my homework or articles, but somehow I found the strength to tweet an unhealthy amount of times.

I love baking as a hobby.

My sister and I went to the grocery store with my new spare time and purchased every ingredient we needed for making cookies from scratch. We even ordered custom aprons with our names on them. It was a breath of fresh air and an excellent way to bond with my sister. We’re planning to bake often!

I enjoy cooking and trying new recipes.

As a graduate student and journalist, the most accessible food option is fast food or something quickly put in the microwave. But, since I had some time to spare, I found myself on tasty searching up dinner recipes and cooking with my family.

This social media detox was well needed, and I plan on taking one often to enjoy real life more. What are your thoughts on social media detoxes?

Hey, you made it this far. Check out 5 Things To Do Instead of Being on Your Device

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5 Things To Do Instead of Being on Your Device

In 2022, we’re focusing on the real world. Here are 5 things to do instead of being on your device.

As humanity evolves, we’ve developed an attachment to our cellular devices now more than before. It provides access to jobs, connects us with family and strangers worldwide, and even stores valuable information. The connection with our devices is so strong that it has become a morning ritual to check it as soon as you wake up. With newly addictive devices comes detachment from the real world. Think about it. How many hours do you spend on your electronics per day? Now, how many times have you gone for a walk? Friends, it’s time to put the phone down. Here are five things to do instead.

5 Things To Do Instead of Being on Your Device

5 Things To Do Instead of Being On Your Device
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Read a book

So many phenomenal new books are waiting for you to indulge in its characters. From fantasy to urban fiction, don’t miss the chance to visit your local bookstore and start your bookworm journey. To stay away from the urge of using your phone, stick to hard copies.

At-Home date night with friends

What’s better than a night full of great vibes in the comfort of your own home? Invite some of your closet friends over, reminisce, and enjoy a night full of laughter. Create some ‘boss friends’ goals together and talk about how you all can better support each other.

Take a walk

Life isn’t a walk in the park, but that shouldn’t stop you from taking a walk often. Walking is known to help clear your mind and release negative energy. If you don’t want to take one alone, ask a friend.

Game night with your family

Thanksgiving and Christmas don’t have to be the only time families come together. Have a game night with your loved ones instead of texting or calling them. Talk about those embarrassing times when you were younger. Play spades or claim someone is cheating during a fun game of Uno.

Buy a journal and write your heart out.

Feel like writing a social media post about how you feel? Buy a journal instead. Sometimes we give too much insight into our personal lives to strangers who find amusement in our pain. Use that journal to get your feelings out and keep adverse people out of your business.

If you like this post, you’ll love What To Do In The First Days Of 2022

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These 4 Things Can Prevent Your Growth

As the new year approaches, the last thing we need is growth prevention. So let’s get into how these 4 things can prevent your growth.

Growth can be stimulating— especially when you’re having a hard time figuring out what’s taking the process so long. For one, we can’t rush it. Growth is something that transpires when you permit yourself to change. It’s when your mind becomes more assorted and willing to step out of your comfort zone. Honestly, the process is dissimilar for everyone. For some of us, we can easily adapt to this new form of thinking which allows growth to overtake our lives. And for others, it’s not a walk in the park.

Either way, there are 4 things that can prevent your growth— whether you can easily adapt to changes or not. Let’s Talk!

These 4 Things Can Prevent Your Growth

These 4 things Can Prevent Your growth
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Low Self-Esteem

If you’ve never experienced low self-esteem, you’re an icon—seriously. It’s when someone lacks confidence about themselves and what they can achieve. They often think of themselves as failures before they even begin. Low self-esteem is one of the main problems that prevents growth— because in their mind, they already loss.

Environment

Yes, your environment can prevent growth. Sometimes we get too attached to the areas we grew up around and become scared of the thought of leaving. It is possible to grow in the same environment, but not much. We need to experience new surroundings and people from different cultures. We need to experience the world. It’s much bigger than the neighborhood or city you’re used to.

Overly Procrastination

It’s no secret that everyone procrastinates. Even the most successful people talk about how there are times when they ‘put off’ doing something until the last minute. However, overly procrastination can prevent growth. What is overly procrastination? It’s when your motivation is erased by consistently waiting until the last minute to do something. You eventually choose to not finish the project— for example— at all. And we all know, if you don’t finish what you start, you’ll still be in the same position.

Negative Nancy’s (Naysayers)

The people you choose to be around can affect your growth. If you surround yourself with unsupportive people, that energy affects you mentally. You start to second guess yourself and your talent, which can create low self-esteem. If people are always negative around you, distance yourself. Nothing positive comes from that negative energy.

You know you have what it takes to take the world by storm. Grow and allow yourself to stay away from those 4 things. You got this.

If you like this post, you’ll love 6 Affirmations To Start Off Your Day

To learn more about Lashaunta Shanese visit my website.

Read my latest article for Sheen Magazine.

Protect Your Energy: Life 101

Let’s learn ways to protect your energy in this crazy world.

One of my favorite topics to write about is protecting your energy. I’ve witnessed some crazy things in my life, and so far, I can comprehend how imperative it is to put a protective barrier around your energy.

Let’s be honest.

As much as we wish the world were a better place, we have to admit that people often push out negative agendas. They always find something hateful to share or say, and they never see anything wrong with their actions. These are the type of individuals that we should plan on staying far away.

These people find joy in seeing others sad and hurt, so the best way to deal with it is to keep your distance.

But, what if we have to be around these people? Let’s get started! That’s when you use these three different ways to protect your energy.

3 Ways To Protect Your Energy

Protect your Energy
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Try to avoid conflict

I know, I know. Sometimes conflict comes around and we have to defend ourselves. However, please try to avoid it as much as possible. It’s one of the quickest ways to take in bad energy. As I said, there are people who will purposely target you and try to bring you down. Most of the time walking away or agreeing to disagree works. Don’t let them win!

photo of a sign and eyeglasses on table
Photo by Binti Malu on Pexels.com

Choose positivity, always

Of course, this is better said than done. We all have bad days even when we try to think positive. It’s a part of life. However, as long as you’re choosing to think positive thoughts, you’re fighting against the negative energy in this world. Also, just because you have a bad day doesn’t mean you’re a negative person. Don’t worry, we all have those moments, even the most positive people in the world do.

woman doing cobra pose
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Clear your mind with meditation

When I feel overwhelmed by negative energy, I take a moment to breathe. I usually use the mone minute breathe concentration on my apple watch to help calm my nerves. This is a part of meditation, and there are many other ways you can clear your mind and body of toxic thoughts. Although I still have a lot to learn about meditation, this method works for me.

Now go out there and protect your peace!

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The Lonely Hour: Reasons Why You Need To Be Alone For A Few Hours Everyday.

Being lonely a few hours out of the day doesn’t sound too bad. To be honest, after dealing with the many different actions of humans for majority of the day, it sounds like a breathe of fresh air.

The word lonely has a bad reputation. Society made it the face of depression and basically if you’re ever lonely, you should hurry up and find someone to talk to.

However, this might sound crazy, but we need to be lonely for a few hours a day.

Perhaps I should say “alone” since many people can create the argument between the difference of the two.

Any who, here’s a few reasons why we need that alone time.

• We need time to ourselves.

• It allows us to sit and relax, maybe even use our Apple watches to “breathe”.

• It’s one of the few times out of the day that’s not stressful.

• If you don’t feel like talking, you don’t have to.

• It helps with becoming more in touch with yourself. You can notice more of who you are when you’re not distracted by life. Even if it’s for a few hours. We learn something new everyday.

• YOU CAN BE YOURSELF. You can eat how you want. Nothing has to be perfect when you’re alone. (Although you should always be yourself)

• You’re getting away from life, for a bit.

These reasons are more than enough to convince people why they should take time for themselves EVERY DAY. We deal with so much in life, it’s overwhelming.

Those small moments/ hours of calm can motivate you to keep going. Your mind & body needs rest every day.

Here’s Why You Get Mad When People Express Their Feelings.

Talk about being out of touch with your emotions, whew.

When listening to someone express how they feel, do you often find yourself saying,

Damn, that’s crazy.

OR

Okay.

Well, I hate to say it.. I don’t want to sound ridiculous… but.. you hate when people show emotions and it makes you mad.

Hear me out..

I’m not saying you’re heartless, but here are three reasons why you might act this way.

1. You lack empathy.

I grew up in a household where it was okay to cry. It was completely fine to talk about why I was frustrated or why I felt the way I did. There’s many people who weren’t this fortunate.

You probably grew up in a area/household where expressing your feelings were for the WEAK MINDED. It was always “man up” or “stop being weak”. Whenever you tried to express yourself, you might have heard:

Stop being stupid. That’s nothing to cry over.

So now, many things that others react towards, you’re numbed to. You aren’t phased by much and it’s hard to get a tear out of you, to be honest.

Come on, shed a tear!

I’m kidding!

2. The situation is not a big deal to you.

To you, the situation may be small. There’s no reason to talk about it or get emotions involved because it’s simply not a big deal.

You’re making a big deal out of nothing. It’s not that serious.

However, it’s the principle, you know. Just because you feel like the situation isn’t important, does not make the other person’s feelings invalid. They have a right to talk about an issue that’s bothering them, and as the other person involved in the situation, the least you could do is listen.

3. You’re bad at communicating.

Yeah, I’m using the “C-Word”. There’s many people who really don’t be knowing what to say when someone is expressing how they feel. They can’t find the right words, movement or emotions. They don’t want to say something to make the situation worse and it makes them awkward. They get upset at the fact that you keep talking and eventually will either zone you out or hit you with the text:

Idk what you want me to say.

Sometimes, you might not get a text back at all, but you’ll definitely see them sharing posts on Facebook.

This isn’t an excuse, though. We’re all young adults and there are ways to become a better communicator.

It all starts with acknowledging the problem.

You can’t act like the problem does not exist. The other person isn’t crazy or making up anything.

You know exactly what’s going on.

Think about how crazy it sounds to get mad when someone is explaining how you, for example, hurt them. Do not be this way forever.

Here’s an article from Mental Floss that discuss 11 ways to become a better communicator: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/71966/11-ways-become-better-communicator