Off the Grid: Me, Myself, and Isolation [My Mythical Year] [101 in 1001 v. 2]

See my post here for more information on My Mythical Year. 

Isolation.  For some, too much of it can be detrimental to the psyche.  Too little of it can make some anxious and overwhelmed.  My being an ambivert (I thought it was omnivert this whole time) requires me to have a balance of socialization and nourishing isolation.

But wait, you live most of your life in isolation, why would you need more of it?

Hush, you don't know me like that.

Anyway...

For me, the internet and social media are an integral part of my connection to the outside world.  Hopefully, I will always prefer face-to-face interaction over electronic interaction.  However, I felt I was getting out of balance with it, plus it was really starting to depress me.

In case you're not aware of it, Mother's Day is the hardest holiday on the calendar for me.  The week before, I started feeling the icy claws of depression and inadequacy start to scratch at my heart.  I tried to ignore it, but all the pictures of families and the Proverbs 31 shaming had already started.

Side note:  Also, if you aren't aware of it, I love moms, dads, kids, families, and Proverbs, chapter 31.  However, I don't like how they've been presented to those like me for whom they are not an option.  Or, as in the case of Proverbs, chapter 31, presented as an exclusive club that only the best women can be a part of ...which is a lie and something God never said.

I had already planned at some point to have a technology free weekend as part of my 101 in 1001 list, and  Mother's Day weekend seemed to be the perfect time;  My friends would be busy with family, and I figured my Pastor would be slinging Proverbs 31 from one end of the sanctuary to the other (he didn't, but I didn't know that), so staying in wouldn't be noticed.

My plan was to, without preamble or announcement, go without my phone, tablet, and laptop from Friday after work until I went back to work on Monday, the 13th.  As I said in my review of What Falls From the Sky:

Though I don't believe that I'm addicted to the internet or social media, I do feel somewhat overwhelmed by it and have a need to occasionally get completely off the grid. 

What I thought

I figured my reactions would be withdrawal and feeling lonely because I couldn't periodically check my apps for interactions.  Also, turning off my tablet means that I have to curtail my habit of listening to a book, podcast, or video until I go to sleep.  Would I be able to sleep with so much quiet?  Then there's FOMO - Fear of Missing Out.  What if something cool happens while I'm gone?  What if I lose all the Words With Friends games I started?  What if...?  Oh, whatever!

What really happened

I thoroughly enjoyed it.  There was no withdrawal, no problems getting to sleep, and no lonely feeling like I'd missed out.  In fact, when I went back on the grid that Monday, I saw that I really hadn't missed anything and it really felt like a letdown to have to go back (except, there was a new GMM episode to watch).  Plus, I finished some projects I'd started long ago.  It was a very freeing experience.  To borrow a quote from The Book of Mythicality:

It is important for [me] to get time to [myself] in order to be the Mythical [Auntie I] need to be.  When [I] get the opportunity to experience moments of pure, unadulterated, self reflection, it can be thoroughly reinvigorating.

So, if an occasional break from the chaos of the bling and ping of electronics and social media makes me a better Auntie, I'm all for it.