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25 Things to do instead of social media

March 16, 2020 by Jill Leave a Comment

This past week has been…challenging. And by challenging, I mean weird and anxiety inducing. I know none of you have been living under a rock so I don’t need to do a coronavirus update and list all the things that have been closed or cancelled. I’ve watched my plans for the spring go down the drain just like everyone else has and, like everyone else, I’m facing a whole lot of uncertainty. In addition to the stress caused by uncertainty, the issues we’re facing are causing divisiveness. One person says “You’re not taking this seriously enough.” Someone else says: “You’re taking this too seriously.” I’ve seen it and I know we’ll see more of it before things turn around. Social distancing can include social media, friends. If you’re overwhelmed with the information or find it stressful, annoying or what have you, I’m providing some tips on things to do instead of social media.

And no, I’m not suggesting you take a completely detox or break from social media, although it is honestly something I’ve thought about doing and might need to do for me. There are enough people out there telling you what you’re not doing enough of and what you’re doing too much of so I won’t add my voice to theirs. These are just some alternative to scrolling in case you find yourself with extra time or just want to make some changes. These are easy, fun things to do instead of scrolling Facebook that have positive, constructive results.

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Table of Contents

  • Have a happier, healthier day with these 25 things to do instead of social media
  • 1. Exercise
  • 2. Meal Plan
  • 3. Write a letter
  • 4. Take a bath
  • 5. Drink your fancy tea
  • 6. Meditate
  • 7. Make a to-do list…or several of them
  • 8. Schedule a movie marathon
  • 9. Give yourself a manicure
  • 10. Plan your next vacation
  • 11. Try a new hairstyle
  • 18. Practice a new makeup look
  • 19. Delete and/or organize your digital photos
  • 20. Clean out a closet or a drawer
  • 21. Make a new playlist
  • 22. Watch a TED Talk
  • 23. Unsubscribe from promotional emails
  • 24. Snooze your friends
  • 25. Watch cat videos

Have a happier, healthier day with these 25 things to do instead of social media

1. Exercise

Social distancing doesn’t have to mean stay in your house. The gym may be off limits but you can still take a walk, go for a run or check out a new fitness video. 

My kids and I are going to be taking some short hikes this week. A lot of our local parks remain open and most of them have great light hiking or walking trails. I just have to make sure they understand “park” doesn’t equal playground. There are lots of things to do instead of social media that get you outside and into the fresh air that don’t involve being around people. 

2. Meal Plan

Meal planning is one of those things I say I’m going to do “when I get organized” or “when I have time.” Make a list of what you’ve got on hand and try planning your meals for the week around what you’ve already got. Get creative or ask friends for recipes. 

“What can I make with a can of tuna, white beans and Rotel?”

If you really wanna go crazy, you can inventory your pantry. I’m not there yet but the idea is oddly appealing. You can actually order kitchen inventory printables off Etsy. I might or might not have these in my cart.

3. Write a letter

Bust out those note cards or pretty stationary you’ve had stashed in a drawer since forever. Bonus points if you write to someone who doesn’t use social media. 

If you’re looking for things to do instead of scrolling Facebook, put your device away and grab a pen. You will make someone’s day.

4. Take a bath

I have a basket full of fancy bath bombs and a bottle of never-been-opened bath oil. If things rings familiar and you’ve been waiting to have that “special occasion bath” then maybe now is the time. 

5. Drink your fancy tea

I drink a cup of coffee every morning but I also have an impressive  collection of loose tea and herbal tea bags. Break out that really nice mug and brew yourself a cup and settle in with a good book or a magazine or my personal favorite, Netflix. 

6. Meditate

If you don’t meditate, now is a great time to give it a try. I’m not very good at it but I’ve been making an effort. On a normal day, my brain moves really fast and efforts to slow my breathing and center my thoughts usually have the opposite effect on me. But, practice makes perfect. 

I’ve been using the Calm App. There’s a free trial and after that, it is $59.99 per year. I wish I could say I’m super diligent about using it but I can say that I’m trying and that there’s a lot of variety there. 

7. Make a to-do list…or several of them

There’s nothing like the feeling of accomplishment you get from checking things off a list. Make a list of all the things you’ve been meaning to get done around the house. You can also have fun with this and make a list of family or personal goals you want to accomplish or a list of contacts you want to reach out to. You can even get a dedicated notebook and use it to keep your various lists organized.

If you’re looking for things to do instead of social media you can probably brain storm a bunch of them. Divide them into manageable or even fun lists. 

Wanna really have some fun? Order these printable “Get Shit Done” lists from Etsy. 

8. Schedule a movie marathon

If you need an excuse to re-watch all the Twilight movies (don’t judge me) maybe now is the perfect time to do that or to introduce someone new to the world of sparkly vampires. 

I’ve just introduced my kids to The Hunger Games. It’s one of my very favorites and I’ve watched the movies and read the trilogy way more often than I care to admit. “You here to finish me off, sweetheart?” Who said that?

You could make a list (see above) of all the sagas you want to check out, i.e. Marvel Cinematic Universe, Harry Potter, Star Wars. Have fun with it!

P.S. Don’t tell my husband about this one. He’s been making noises about Lord of the Rings stuff and I am not here for that.

9. Give yourself a manicure

If you’re looking for things to do besides scrolling Facebook, here’s an idea to keep your fingers busy for a few minutes – give yourself a manicure.

Even if you don’t usually do your nails, taking some time to file and buff them can be soothing and make you feel good about yourself. Or, use this time where you might be limiting interaction with other people to try something really crazy, like neon orange nail polish. Why not?

10. Plan your next vacation

Even though most people aren’t traveling right now – I totally get the angst of cancelled trips, by the way – there is going to be an end to this time and people will travel again. Take this time to make your wish list or even start a Pinterest board with travel ideas.

My blog has taken a huge hit because people aren’t searching for travel-related content right now, so if you want to visit my website and click around to get some travel ideas, I would appreciate that very much. You can also email me your travel-related questions and I’d be happy to make suggestions or give insight. 

Even though scrolling Facebook does give you some great ideas for travel, you can find just as much on travel blogs and websites or on Pinterest. Check out my travel boards to give you some ideas for places to go once travel opens up again – because it will.

11. Try a new hairstyle

Trying something new with your hair is one of the really fun things you can do instead of social media. Braids and fishtails take practice. If you find you have a few minutes each day, practice a new style whether its on your own head or someone else’s. Both Pinterest and YouTube have great hair tutorials.

Even those Twilight or Twilight take some time to master…at least that is the case for me

18. Practice a new makeup look

I’m taking this time at home to not wear makeup, however, if you’ve been wanting to experiment with a smokey eye or a winged liner – both totally elusive to me – now is a great time to do that. 

Here are some YouTube videos that I found that you might enjoy:

 

19. Delete and/or organize your digital photos

How many photos are on your phone? I have over 20,000 photos in my cloud. Some of them I’ve saved for a reason and others are just random pictures of my elbow my kids have taken or a picture of a sign because I wanted to remember the info for later.

I also take a lot of pictures and videos with my cameras and my Twilight. I’m horrible about not downloading my pictures or doing any semblance of organizing when I return from a trip. I spent almost an hour this morning searching for our pictures from Caprock Canyon State Park last February. I’m going to take some time this week and organize my digital files.

20. Clean out a closet or a drawer

Start small. If I saw “I’m going to organize my house this week” well then I’ve failed before I’ve started. My closet is a horror show and you know how most people have that one drawer they use to dump their junk? I have an entire room I’ve been using to dump my junk and we won’t even talk about my garage. I’m pretty sure there could be a family of four living in there and I’d never know it. 

De-cluttering my house is daunting. But using that time I’d spend scrolling to clear out a drawer. Do-able. 

And, even if your closet is a horror show like mine, set a timer and do what you can during an established period of time. You’d be surprised at what you can accomplish in 10 minutes.

21. Make a new playlist

I love Spotify. I have the paid version which allows me to skip the commercial interruptions and lets me pick the order my songs are played in. I love making playlists for specific trips or specific moods, like “housecleaning” or “road trip.” This is a fun thing to do with kids, also. Letting each of your kids have “their” play list makes traveling – even if it is a short trip – more fun and it’s good time spent together.

Here’s a playlist I put together for my blog post about the new Kia Seltos. I think it makes a good driving playlist no matter what you’re driving or where you’re going.

22. Watch a TED Talk

TED Talks are my new favorite thing. You can find inspiration or information there. I find TED Talks to be overwhelmingly positive and uplifting and who doesn’t need that right now? There are so many talks to choose from and you can see how long they are on the home screen. You can pick something that meets the length of time you want to spend and maybe pick out a few to watch for later.

23. Unsubscribe from promotional emails

I’m sure by now, we know the coronavirus stance or plan for every single business we’ve ever given our email to. Whether it’s an airline or your power company or a store you bought shoes from two years ago, everyone wants to take the opportunity to tell you how the coronavirus is impacting them and reassure you that they remain committed to your safety. 

I went through and I did a mass unsubscribe in January but the flood of recent emails has me like “Dang…I’ve given my email out to a lot of places.” If you’re not interested in seeing those emails or just want to manage your preferences, use this time to clean out your inbox.

24. Snooze your friends

I’m connected to a lot of people on social media I know in real life. I’m also connected to a lot of people where I’m all “And WHO is that person again?” No matter the level of connection, I now know EV-REE-BODY’s stance on COVID-19.

I respect everyone’s right to see this thing however they see it and to express themselves. I also appreciate that some of the people I’m connected to feel it their duty to flood my feed with every single update and closure or that my San Antonio-based news channel wants to notify me that they’re streaming announcements from North Carolina.

I get it. 

But, it’s saturated my feed and is having a negative effect on my well-being. While I have limited my time online, I do take the opportunity to unfriend or unfollow people whose posts are causing my feed to be not what I want it to be.

By the way, you can unfollow someone and still remain friends with them. They won’t know you unfollowed them and you can still see their posts if you deliberately go to their profile. I’ve only been unfriending the “And WHO is that again?” people that I’m somehow connected to on Facebook. I’ve opted to make my online world a little smaller and that’s OK. 

25. Watch cat videos

If all fails, cat videos never fail to make people laugh. You don’t even have to be a cat lover. Here are a few of my favorites but I’d love to find some new ones. I’d love it if you would share some of your favorites.

No cats were harmed during the making of these videos. At least I hope not. I mean…I don’t really know for sure.

Funny Cat Videos

Cute is not enough ♥

Posted by Cats Zone on Sunday, January 13, 2019

Best Funny Cat Videos 2019 #5

These cat are super super cute ♥

Posted by Cats Zone on Friday, March 1, 2019

Cat Fails ♥ funny cats. ♥ #Cats #Funny #smile #top5

Like me

Posted by Cover magic on Sunday, August 27, 2017


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All About Jill

I'm a digital content creator and essayist who copes with parenting and most other situations with humor and snark. Just so you know, if this weren't the internet, I'd be smiling awkwardly and answering simple questions like "How are you today" with gems like "I like pockets."

I really do love pockets, though.

I spent 26 years in the USAF, which went by really, really fast. I'm very proud of my service but I'm loving my second act even more. Writing gives me the opportunity to flex my creative muscles and that's what makes me happy. Welcome.

Read More…

Recent Snaps

rippedjeansandbifocals

Freelance Writer & Travel Expert
Producer, Listen to Your Mother SA
💜 Mom via birth & #adoption
🐈 Human to @remusthebengalcat
🇺🇸 USAF veteran
📍#texas

Jill Robbins
This little guy wasn’t a keeper - a fish has to This little guy wasn’t a keeper - a fish has to be at least 20 inches long to keep and this one was a couple of inches short. That said, the excitement of catching my first fish was BIG. 🎣 
.
I was invited down to South Padre Island this weekend for #NationalCookYourCatchDay and I’m not gonna lie: I was a little nervous. Things could go wrong. I could fall out of the boat, break something or get eaten by a shark. (I have a vivid imagination.)
.
None of those things happened.
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Our boat caught enough keepers to feed us dinner and I wanna go fishing again.  I liked it a lot more than I expected to.
.
I’m still going through pictures and videos and I’ll tell you all you want to know about planning your own fishing trip on the Texas Gulf Coast + where to eat and some other things to do. Every day can 
be #nationalcookyourcatchday 
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Thanks @visitsouthpadreisland for hosting me & Captain Eddie (AKA @fishingpadre ) for being such a patient teacher. 
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#sopadre #southpadreisland #southpadre #texascoast #texastodo #anglerlife #fishinggram #fishinglife #gonefishing
Happy Wednesday. 📷 taken at Wasserman Wranch n Happy Wednesday.

📷 taken at Wasserman Wranch near Alpine. Check my bio link for more information. 

#texastravel #westtexas #texastodo #welovetexas #texaskids #donkeysofinstagram #westtx #texastravel #onlyintexas #alpinetexas #alpinetx #igtexas #igtexasphoto #alamocreatives #heymama_love #texasblogger #satxbloggers #texasthingstodo #miniaturedonkey #miniaturedonkeysofinstagram
"Intelligence + Character. That is the goal of tru "Intelligence + Character. That is the goal of true education." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I saw a lot of posts about Martin Luther King yesterday when I was doing my scrolls through social media...on a day where I wasn't supposed to be ON social media, ahem. We hear and see a lot of Dr. King's words and quotes one day a year. So, instead of apologizing for posting this "a day late" I'll share that I'm challenging myself to remember some of these important words more than one day a year.

Our kids are watching us right now. I mean...they're always watching us but I think what they see in these times is more important than ever. Nuturing our kids' intelligence and character is more important than ever. My kids are 10 now - this picture is about four years old - and they are absorbing EVERYTHING we say, how we say it and even what we don't say. 

This mural is near the suspension bridge in downtown Waco. Waco is famous for all the Magnolia things but there's a lot there for families, too, and the park around the bridge is a great place to explore along the Brazos River. 

#martinlitherkingday #martinlutherkingquotes #wacotexas #wacoheartoftexas #wacohot #texastravel #texastodo #onlyintexas #texaskids #texasfamilies #alamocreatives #igtexasphoto 
#raisinggoodhumans #raisingboys
Here’s something you’ve probably never seen be Here’s something you’ve probably never seen before: my bottom teeth.
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I always hide my crooked bottom teeth in pictures and I’m super self-conscious when I talk. So I did something about it.
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I wore braces as a kid and my top teeth are straight but my bottom teeth are shifting and one tooth is traveling into the back of my mouth and I have some crowding. My orthodontist said it’s very unusual to put braces on just half your mouth but my bite is still aligned so they didn’t have to put them on my top teeth - my wallet is thankful.
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Questions I’ve already been asked:
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1️⃣ At your age? Yes, at my age. I still care about my smile. 
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3️⃣ How long do you have to wear them?
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6-9 months.
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3️⃣ Do they hurt? 
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My teeth are sore and my mouth is tender but not to the Tylenol level so I guess the answer is “Not too much.”
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Other questions? Advice?
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#braceface #adultbraces
Little things can really be big - do you agree? M Little things can really be big - do you agree?

My husband gets up with our kids twice a week and does their breakfast and morning routine and takes them to school so I can sleep in. I don't laze away the morning in bed - it usually amounts to about an extra hour of sleep for me and a little more peace and quiet as I start my day. 

This probably seems like a little thing but this is huge for me. The mental benefits of not having to set my alarm on a schoolday is truly my love language. I would rather have sleep than flowers or presents. 

On those morning where my husband takes my kids to school, I will inevitably find the kitchen not "just so." There will be spills on the table or something that didn't get put away. I resist the urge to be sarcastic or to ask "Um, is there a reason we have four boxes of cereal just sitting on the counter?" or point out that it would take less than 30 seconds to wipe a tabletop or put a box back on the shelf. I resist saying stuff like "I guess if I want it done a certain way, I have to do it myself." I don't even say that to myself. 

My husband isn't "doing me a favor" by taking care of our kids. When I talked about being stressed and tired during an argument last year, he offered to take some things off my plate and giving me two mornings where I don't have to set an alarm was one of his ideas. It's part of the give and take of marriage and even though it makes me clench a little when I see spilled milk or stuff that hasn't put away, I appreciate having a partner who shares the load with me. 

My marriage definitely is not perfect and I'm in no position to give relationship advice. But for us, this one little thing is a really big deal. 

And, as I've recently discovered, a cereal box can sit on the counter for several days and the world doesn't explode. Who knew.

#thisisus #thisismarriage #loveandmarriage #happywifehappylife #marriedlife #mancrusheveryday #texas #texasstyle #rippedjeansandbifocals #marriagegoals #relationshipgoals #coparenting #parenting #momlifebelike #momlifeisthebestlife #ocd #ocdmomproblems #ocdmommy
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