This post contains affiliate links.  Please see my About Me page for more details.

I just got my very first Iphone – and it was nice enough to inform me how long I spent on social media the first day I used it.

Wow, that was a rude awakening.

Wayyyyyy to many hours.

I have a feeling I am not alone.

If you are like me, you know that we look at our phones more than we should – and although we don’t want to give them up entirely, we want to be present and attentive to the people and gifts that are with us in the real world more than the virtual world.

Although I’m still trying to find and embrace the right balance, I want to share some strategies that have really worked for me when I implement them.

Ways to decrease social media use and be more present

1. Take a moment to pray before you go on any social media platform.

Before getting the new phone, I changed my lock screen from a picture of my husband and son to a new prayer.

This is a prayer that I wrote and Sara, from To Jesus Sincerely, designed for our work over at CatholicsOnline.net.

This lock screen/wallpaper is totally free.  I can honestly say it made a difference on the amount of time I spent online and made me more aware of the time I spent on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

There were times when I picked up my phone, saw the prayer and thought . . . what am I doing, I need to be doing (fill in the blank) not looking at my phone.  Just the image of the prayer gave a moment to process what I was doing.  It’s crazy, I pick it up subconsciously and this prayer “woke me up” a few times.

Other times I would pray the prayer, go on, and notice I wouldn’t stay on as long as I had in the past.

I need to get it on my new phone ASAP.

I created this because I know there were many times I have been on Facebook and something was posted that changed my emotional state so much it actually impacted my entire day.

That shouldn’t happen.  Saint John of the Cross, Padre Pio and Saint Teresa Avila all have quotes that tell us to not let anything disturb our peace!

We need to remember this.  I need to remember this.  Taking a moment to open our minds and hearts to Our Lord before entering the social media world allows us to be guided by the Holy Spirit while we are there.

2. Use strategies to stay off the gram, Facebook, etc.

I often put my phone upstairs when I am downstairs (or vice versa).  I also use a timer where I tell myself, “you need to do the dishes, clean the kitchen and blah blah blah” for this amount of time WITHOUT looking at your phone.  (Now you know – I’m an addict).

These strategies work for me.  I’ve also talked to others about what they do.  Recently, Chloe Langr interviewed Sara and I on her Letters to Women podcast.

The topic, A Letter to the Woman Navigation Social Media today, allowed me to hear what strategies both Chloe and Sara use.

Sara mentioned some of her strategies include:

• Turning off  notifications on your phone. 
• Setting alarms on your phone for “times to pray”.
• Putting social media apps inside of folders.
• Using an app that limits social media usage*

*If that last one interests you, here is an article I thought looked helpful: 7 Best Apps That Block Social Media On iPhone And Android

This episode is filled with great conversations about social media and our role as Catholics on social media.

Also, this post 3 Ways to Unplug might give you more ideas too.

3. Use social media in a way that promotes the greater good

Social media can be a good thing!  It’s fun, it keeps us connected and there is great potential to love and be a witness to our faith.  But, it’s also still very new.

Take a good look at who you are called to be on social media.

For many of us, our day to day lives for years did not have social media as a part of our daily schedule.

We can’t think back to when our parents gave us the “social media” talk.  Is that even a thing now?  I honestly don’t know.  What I do know is that tweens and teens everywhere are asking for smart phones and social media privileges.

I also know it’s stressing parents out – and rightfully so. A recent news article stated

Statistics show one out of every five teens has been contacted by a child predator online”

( Read the full article here: Dangerous Social Media Apps Kids are Using . . .)

Also check out How to Get Your Tech Loving Teen to Prayer Journal

There are concerns that it causes more anxiety and like video game addiction, it can be problematic.  And on top of all these worldly concerns, there is a matter of faith.  How does social media use effect our souls – or does it at all.
I propose that it very much impacts our souls – and like Chris Pratt once said, “You have a soul, be careful with it.”

It is our responsibility that we do so. Being aware of this led to the creation of the course: How to be a Good Catholic on Social Media

How to be a Good Catholic on Social Media 

Are you living out your Faith online?

This course is a perfect introduction to healthy, holy social media use for teens and young adults, and a much-needed reminder for people of all ages.

Learn the ins-and-outs of virtuous social media use through instructional videos and the accompanying printable workbook. Reflect on the application questions to help you put your Catholic Faith into practice online. Take this course by yourself, with a friend, or as a parent-child team to help your teen get a safe start to social media.

All materials are digital and available immediately upon purchase.

Perhaps this summer we should skip the parish book club and invite a small group to take this course together.

Maybe moms and dads who keep hearing “mom, I want my own phone.  I want snapchat.  I should be allowed on Instagram . . . etc.” could say, “okay, let’s make a deal.  You want to go on social media, you have to take this course first.”

If you want to purchase the course, use the coupon code LaunchSpecial (good until Sunday, June 16th) for 20% off.

I love that this course will most likely spark conversations that families should be having . . . but just don’t realize it.

Although it is brand new, some people were given the chance to preview it.  This is what some of them had to say about “How to be a Good Catholic on Social Media”:

Outstanding course! I feel confident my teenage son has the tools from this course to make proper decisions on social media.Sara is a very good teacher,and makes it easy to understand the lessons! Thank you Sara!

-Laura Hanrahan

What an EXCELLENT course! It really is a perfect outline for healthy, holy social media use. This course was a good refresher for me as an adult. I will definitely be coming back for this course when my children are old enough and going through it with them 

-Katherine Reay

How do you manage social media use?  What are some ways social media helps you to be a better Christian? Tell us in the comments!

And speaking of using social media . . . I would love to connect with you on Facebook (Prayer Wine Chocolate); Pinterest (Prayer Wine Chocolate) and Instagram (Prayer Wine Chocolate)

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The post Social Media and Summer: How to Not Let Your Social Media Habits Steal Your Soul, Joy and Experiences appeared first on Prayer Wine Chocolate.

This post contains affiliate links.  Please see my About Me page for more details.

Not to long ago, Lindsay Trezza from Just Love Prints posed a question on Facebook.  She asked,

What advice would you give your middle school self? 

I thought, well, I wrote a whole book to answer that one.  But I thought, maybe I should seriously consider this question, shorten my answer from 100 pages … and give the world a peak into the Be Yourself Journal and the motivation behind it.

Being 11, 12, 13 and beyond is etched into my memory and heart in all sorts of ways.  It is and was and will always be a difficult age.  Some of us struggle more than others, but most of us do not realize how much our peers are experiencing the same growing pains.  We tend to learn years later how we had more in common with our peers than not.

But at the same time, there is a beautiful innocence at this age.  I remember the questions I had, the music and colors I was attracted to and the dreams I dreamt.  As a teacher, I truly enjoyed teaching 9th grade the best.  So much hope, purity and joy can be found in most children that age.  I have a special place for them in my heart.  The Be Yourself Journal is a gift to young girls that age.  A tool to help them see the joy and light in their own life and a manual to help them navigate their growing relationship with the Lord. Plus, there are lots of added elements that make it fun and enjoyable.

If I could speak to my middle school self, I would say:

I know you don’t think you are beautiful, but, you are beautiful.

How many times have you heard, “you look just like your mom”?  For some reason, you hate hearing it – because you don’t see it.  But the truth is, other people do see it.  And when you look at your mom, you see a beautiful woman.  You might be jealous that her teeth are straighter than yours, but please – minor detail.  You’ll get braces, chill with that.  Every woman sees flaws in themselves.  Happy women don’t focus on them. No matter how gorgeous a woman is, she loses her sight of that beauty when she begins to compare.  Models bring themselves down by comparison.  Not feeling pretty enough because of envying others will never bring joy and happiness.  Know that you are “wonderfully made” and radiate a beauty only you can radiate.

Be grateful for all the little things.

I know you wish for things and pray for things and don’t see the answers you long for, BUT -that breath you just took – that was a gift from God.  Thank Him for it. That beautiful Japanese Maple outside on your front lawn, thank God for it. When you’re walking to school and it’s not raining, that God for the nice weather and the time to just “be”.  Take those moments to truly thank God for His creation.  It doesn’t take much time to say, “Thank you God for ________”.  Give God that time and attention.  When you are grateful for the little things, joy becomes more common in life.  Breathe and thank God he gave you life. I know you think it could be better – but a grateful heart focuses on the good.  Gratitude will open the door for joy, peace and happiness.

The only thing you need to worry about is how much you are loving the people closest to you. 

You worry about a lot of things. Padre Pio, a great saint, stated simply, “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.”  The Lord wants you to love – and that simply means, be kind and patient.  Be kind and patient with your parents, your siblings, your teammates and your classmates.  Mother Teresa once said if we want to bring peace to the world, we should go home and love our families. Give compliments every day. Tell your mom what food you enjoyed at dinner and tell her she did a great job making it! Find something to praise in each of your family members daily. For now, that is your God given mission – to love the people He has placed around you. All the other things that worry you – tell Jesus in a simple prayer.  Say, “Dear Jesus I am upset and worried about ______” and then try your best to leave it in His hands.  It’s not easy, but do your best.  The Lord does not want you to occupy your mind with worries.

Speaking of loving your family, go color with your sister.

First of all, you have a sister – what a beautiful gift to be grateful for!  She is a love and she’s six – I bet she has a coloring book.  Ask her to color with you.  Spend time with her and spend time coloring.   Not only will you make your sister happy, you’ll learn to relax a little. Maybe.  Try not to abort mission when she asks you to play a board game you hate.  Remember, kind and patient – repeat that, “kind and patient”.

Don’t give up.

As your future self, I am happy to say, you do not need me to tell you this.  Your perseverance in continuing to play sports when it seemed like “it wasn’t your bag”, your constant dreaming of life getting better and the way you hold onto your faith enables you to flourish, excel and achieve great things.  You did this right.  Encourage others to do the same.

Be generous with forgiveness

People are going to hurt your feelings.  Some of those people are family members.  Others are the “popular” students in school and athletes and teammates.  Forgive them – even if they are not sorry.  There will be times in life when you won’t have to be forgiving someone new or for a new thing every single day.  Unfortunately, this time period of your life will make you feel like this is expected often.  It’s not fair, but it is what it is.  Forgiveness is not just your duty as  a Christian, it is also a gift that frees up space in your heart for more joy.  Grudges are heavy burdens- don’t carry them. Remember, Jesus forgave those who crucified Him . Ask Him for help when it is difficult. And be generous with forgiving yourself as well.

God made you on purpose and for a purpose.

You were created to fulfill a mission only you can fulfill.  Every time you trust the Lord – even when you don’t understand “why???” – you get closer to seeing it.  You have no idea right now how important, powerful and influential your example and witness to your faith is – it would blow your mind.  Trust me, your effort to do God’s will and be the best version of yourself is not in vain.

When thinking about your life and how to “be yourself” remember: everyone is called to holiness, but our roads look different. We do not all go by the same path.  We are called to love.  We are called to bring God’s peacefulness to the world.

Dream about your future with hope and keep your heart open.”

Taken from the Saint Spotlight page featuring Saint Katharine Drexel

 in the Be Yourself Journal

One day you will look back and see just how your blind obedience was the hand of God:

My Stupid Talent Was a Great Blessing

It’s okay to enjoy life!  Embrace imagination, creativity and the talent of others!

Right now you probably have a few favorite songs, a celebrity crush and some dreams and goals.  That is great!  As long as those things don’t lead you to sin, enjoy!  Smiling can be contagious, embrace the talent of others!  The people that write the songs you enjoy, the tv shows that make you laugh and the clothes that you’d love to wear are using the talents that God has given them – celebrate it with them.  There is more to life than that boy you want to have a crush on you.  There is way more to life than feeling popular.  Don’t let what you don’t have be a distraction to all that brings joy, peace and inspiration.

Need a letter for your daughter to read, consider Dear Beautiful Girl Trying to Find Herself

Not sure your daughter would journal, here’s some tips: How to Get Your Tech Loving Teen to Prayer Journal

Would you like to view the entire journal?  Check it out at Be Yourself: A Journal for Catholic Girls ( scroll down and watch the video at the bottom of the page).

Consider giving the Be Yourself Journal as an Easter gift!  Pair it with some fun and inspiring journal supplies.  These products from DaySpring are a perfect addition!

Illustrates Faith Journal Supplies from DaySpring

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