How My Conversion Has Helped Me Spend Less Time on Social Media

Social media is not inherently bad. In fact, it can be used for many amazing things! For me personally, apps and websites like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok have helped me tremendously when it comes to connecting with family members, keeping up with what’s going on in my local community, befriending other catholics, and learning about the Church. While social media apps and websites are not the best sources for one to use when they are trying to learn about Catholicism, there are certainly some creators out there who are very good at answering questions that potential converts might have. 

But on the other hand, there are definitely some downsides to being on social media, and that is why I have been wanting to step back from it for a while. I initially wanted to delete it, but I have decided against that because of the positive points I mentioned earlier, plus it is a great way to share my writing with others. Therefore, that left me with one option that I am comfortable with, which is keeping my social media accounts but spending less time on them, and being very mindful and intentional with what I share there. That has been a serious struggle for me, but upon doing some reflecting, I have come to the surprising realization that my recent conversion (I was confirmed in the Catholic Church in April) to Catholicism has helped me with this problem in some indirect ways. 

Attending Mass Gave Me The Push I Needed To Begin Designing And Sewing Clothes Again, And It Brought My Attention To Something Else As Well

When my husband and I began attending Mass last year, I was immediately curious as to how to dress. I noticed that many Catholics take dressing modestly and respectfully for Mass very seriously because that is how one should dress when they are in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. One of the first things that became really obvious to me after that is how hard it is to find modest clothing for women my age and under in most stores, and looking back, I think this assisted me in my decision to try to spend less time on social media. 

In fact, I think it helped in a couple of ways. The first way it helped was by getting me back into designing clothing and sewing again. While I did wait a while to actually pick up my needle and thread again, my mind was already more focused on the modest pieces of clothing I wanted to create to wear to Mass than it was on whatever I might have seen on my newsfeed at the time. Also, the other way that this helped me focus on life outside of the internet was that it made me notice how often immodest clothing is promoted online, and how those who choose to dress differently sometimes get made fun of there. This took away some of my desire to scroll. 

Converting Left Me Less Time To Doomscroll By Showing Me How Fascinating The Bible Is 

My conversion to Catholicism began with a very unlikely Bible: the KJV translation. While that is a Protestant Bible, I believe God did use it to bring myself and my husband to the Catholic Church. I started reading it when I was having a very hard time mentally, and at that time, I had no knowledge about what the Catholic Church taught. However, that Bible planted some very necessary seeds that led me towards purchasing a Catholic Bible after we began attending Mass. 

As a result, I discovered the Bible in a Year (With Father Mike Schmitz) podcast and The Catechism in a Year (With Father Mike Schmitz) podcast. I already found the Bible fascinating, but seeing that it goes hand-in-hand with the catechism, which means that everything about the Catholic Church is deeply rooted in scripture, made it my favorite book. This has caused me to spend way less time on social media than I used to because, much like most people, I find digging into my favorite book a lot more fun than seeing endless ads, videos created by artificial intelligence, and getting friend requests from fake accounts. 

Also, one of the many things that makes the Bible unique, at least for me, is that I usually learn something new every time I pick it up, even though I have already read the whole thing. The Bible is a wonderful tool, and nothing else gives me the happiness I get when I sit down to read it every day. 

My Conversion Has Made Me Spend Time Listening To Other Insightful Podcasts As Well 

Another very effective way that my conversion helped me spend less time on social media was by introducing me to other great podcasts in addition to the two I mentioned above. Prior to that period in my life, I had never been a fan of any Christian podcasts. Many of the Protestant ones I had tried listening to before were rather dry, in my opinion. However, once I was on the road to becoming Catholic, I came across many that I still listen to regularly, such as the After Mass podcast and The Lila Rose Show (both of which are also on YouTube). 

This helped me lessen my time on social media because when I am listening to something I am really interested in, I cannot focus on reading things very well. I usually listen to my favorite podcasts while doing mundane things that I do not need to focus on much. For example, instead of doomscrolling while I have those podcasts playing, I usually go for long walks. Furthermore, this has proven to be a great way for me to get some exercise every day. 

I will always say that one of the best decisions I have ever made in my whole life was becoming Catholic. It has brought me closer to the Lord and Mother Mary, it has introduced me to the Saints (many of whom I had not heard of until I began looking into Catholicism), and it has helped me spend less time online, as well as showing me how to use the time I do spend online more effectively.