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I've given up YouTube for Lent...and I'm no longer Catholic.

It’s also Ramadan so it’s a good time to intermittent fast and wean offline too

I decided this Lent to ID the kinds of screen time I have become too attached to, and replace this with other (more conventional) media or human contact.

Jane Coaston does this; unfortunately you can’t ask her about her tactics on here since she won’t see it until after lent. Might be reachable at Crooked Media or the Times? bsky.app/profile/jane...

bsky.app/profile/lafa...

bsky.app/profile/lafa...

The Anti Christ is in the White House

i'm giving up dubai chocolate for lent

An idea from a friend: online posts MUST be positive and centered on gospel-centered (or at least gospel-adjacent) principles/priorities (i.e., no $h[t-posting, shade-throwing, or 'look at me posts').

Being online is a powerful tool for politician/journalists, brand-wise. But for being informed or connected/responsive to one’s constituents, I think we collectively need to reevaluate whether being extremely online is really accomplishing that. Anyway, I’m trying to leave the phone in other rooms.

I'm not religious, but I don't think a post like this needs an apology.

I don't eat meat when I post.

Make all the very Catholic posts you want, imo. I believe we need more progressives being loud about their faith to counter the people warping it. The piece you wrote for that Jesuit publication was fantastic. www.americamagazine.org/politics-soc...

hopefully as the first Catholic female president of America

Now, I just try and cut out soda or sweets or something less challenging 🤣

My plan is to become a watch (not smart watch) guy and a radio guy so I don't get pulled back into my phone as much when I need to know the time or listen to music

The thing I have had most success with is keeping the phone on silent and setting up a charging station by my key bowl near the entryway When I’m home the phone stays there

it works

Get a super bubblegum book on Kindle. Every time before you put away your your phone, take a second to pull up kindle then lock the screen. Now when you open your phone on impulse, there's just a good book on your screen.

Wishing the orange felon had decided to give up speaking and tweeting/posting for lent, and give the world a break

My job depends on screen time. I could never, even if I recognize the benefit to my mental health.

Never catholic, no longer christian. It wasn't difficult to learn that god(s) do not and never did exist, so rituals such as lent are ridiculous.

I’m Episcopalian. Here’s a video from Sister Monica Claire, an Episcopal nun, on Lenten disciplines. www.instagram.com/reel/DU6CjXQ...

I’ve set the restriction that I can only post or engage during Lent if I can answer yes to the question “is this helpful, important, or positive?” Does not have to be all 3, but it has be at least one. It’s been humbling how many times in just 3 days the answer is no and I’ve stopped myself.

Honestly it might be enough to set hours, don’t peek before bed etc. things like that. Which frankly IME is the most pernicious part id online behavior. Maybe better is to focus on one activity at a time. That includes if you are online, that is it. You are just doing necessary online response.

This is why I really need Facebook to allow me to turn off reels. My adhd is particularly good at getting trapped in them. My kids installed a timer for me that allows 15 mins per day. You can push past it, but it makes you think, "Is this for work or the doom?"

Nothing wrong with adding something life giving to your days.

I took a lent social media break in… spring 2020, and thank god I did haha 😂😂 Just deleted the apps and only used ones for communication like Snapchat. Though much different for me as a rando than a journalist.

Switch your devices to grayscale, if you haven't already. The urge to binge diminishes SO MUCH and apps are overall less compelling/ overstimulating! (Plus you can still access texts and other workflows) I hope your Lent is blessed and reflective!

Not this year, but I have done so in the past. I allowed myself a few hours on certain days when I didn't need it for business/work related reasons and only used it for work when I did. Otherwise, I would do things like keep my phone at home when I went out and shut it away in storage when at home.

While I'm not Catholic, I have in the past tried to cut screen time / Social Media time (especially the latter). When I was most successful I replaced some of that time with other things (Audible books, Great Courses lectures) that were adjacent (entertainment / education). Good luck!

One thing I do sometimes is limit myself to desktop/laptop posts only and uninstall the SM apps from the phone. Helps to keep the posts to a focused ones on a message, and keeps them out of reflection time.

Not religious so not catholic, but I like when instead of giving things up for lent people do something positive. Like volunteer more.

For sanity. Not for Lent. But yes. I feel so much compassion for people who don’t have that choice.

Thanks for sharing a great idea for a Lenten focus. I am going to read fewer replies/comments on an initial post. I think recapturing some of that time and making sure that I use it well would be a good goal. Thanks for all you do.

Yeah, things are a little bit different on bsky 😏 only here can you find democratic socialist millennial latina congresswomen apologizing for Catholic-posting about lent

Sounds like a conundrum. I would highly recommend picking something else to give up unless you have reliable people to feed you the news and what is going on. Every second matters right now.

When I was little, 6 or 7, I was angry that we were supposed to “cut” something, because… I was hungry! There was no Extra Candy. I asked Sister if I could add something, like a nightly Rosary, and she said that was lovely. It was my first experience of meditation.

There's always chocolate ...

I’ve chosen to designate times - some when I either don’t use at all - “electronic Sabbath” and others where I put a soft block that makes me wait 5 seconds when launching certain apps (I use the Opal iOS app) during which time I can reconsider whether I *really* want to be doing that on my phone

I thought Lent was about giving up something enjoyable.

ok and?

Very well-spotted!

Yes, and?

Very epic own

And look how relatable her question is.

I deleted Meta apps and TikTok - keeping BlueSky for news. Also using Freedom to shut off all temping apps (YouTube, NYT games) at 10:30pm. Hoping I can train myself to not be so attached to my phone post-Easter.

When they said "give it up for Lent", I thought they meant like to whoop and holler and say "Go Lent, you can do it..." 🤣

Did it last year - I moved the icon off my home screen. The extra few seconds of scrolling through apps I don't use discouraged frequent use.

God has to give up something for lent? Wow!

yes and no… i’m not setting specific overall limits, but i AM saying no news/social media first thing in the morning. small shift, but already meaningful!

If you aren’t shoving it down the throats of others, no need to apologize for your faith!

That's a good idea. Don't give up ALL social media, just ONE of the big ones: FB, TikTok, Instagram, etc.

I did that a few years ago, and just never went back.

I feel like we should have a support group. We can text each other cat photos. 😉

Trying to cut it bc everything I read about this administration is infuriating...

😅

I'm working on downsizing to only a desktop. Then, if I want to be online, I have to be at that desk.

This is such an underrated set of skills. Reading people, building trust, and staying calm under pressure are valuable abilities that take real practice and self-awareness. Experience teaches you things no textbook can fully capture. 💯👏

Not a Catholic, but I am deepening my spiritual practices and meditation. This results in less screen time.

I only reduce screen time for Borrowed.

Pope Leo's lent message didn't say you have to give up social media, just to be kinder to others while on it. So, you're good. :-) press.vatican.va/content/sala...

I use Lock Me Out. It's free, but doesn't have the tile workaround.

The app Opal is also good. It doesn’t use a tag that you have to scan to unlock apps like Brick does but that could be a + or - depending on the person. apps.apple.com/us/app/opal-...

I have! I hate to admit this, but I have to give the tile to my wife because I don’t have the self-control myself. But what’s more embarrassing than having to ask her “Honey, I need the tile. Must. Scroll.”

I’ve been on the brick for a little over a week and love it!

I was against it for the longest time, lying to myself I could just set my phone down. I finally got one for New Year’s and it’s been great. Highly recommend it. Set a few schedules that work for you, and keep the actual Brick device somewhere annoying (mine is on top of the fridge)

I’m not a Brick user but I have starting using the built-in iPhone features, for example limiting time on specific apps: support.apple.com/guide/iphone...

I’ve been playing with this. If I want distracting apps back, I have to physically tap the Brick. That small extra step makes a big difference. So far I scroll less and focus more.

Scrolled the comments just to find someone to mention brick— it works really well, ESPECIALLY if you have to use your phone for work because you can set schedules (and you can always interrupt schedules with a brick tap) we keep our household brick on the fridge since it’s a good reset distance.

Yes. I got one two months ago. It’s great and has really helped me avoid getting distracted at work and has basically ended my late night doom scrolling.

I love it! It makes me actively conscious of when I’m idly reaching for my phone and having to do a physical action to unlock it also prevents me from casually dismissing the lock feature.

I found a free open source alternative called Foqus which lets you set hard schedules and either tap an NFC tag (same tech as Brick) or use a QR code to lock and unlock certain apps. I cut my screen time down by 30% with it over the last week!

I‘d just use ScreenZen. Pure gold, paid back in lifetime. been using it for a few weeks now and loving it.

Any "cult" that encourages good well-being and inspires kindness is good in my book, even if I don't practice it myself.

Take email off your phone. I did this last weekend as part of a work hiatus and it's been transformative. From now on I will only be looking at email on a computer, like in the old days when they had a telephone table in the hall and the only place you could talk on the phone was at that table.

No need to apologize I kicked off Lent by permanently deleting my hardly-used Facebook account. I think it’s important to distinguish work and recreational screen time. Spending more intimate time with those around me is something I’m working on this Lenten season

I'm just shutting the phone off for an hour and doing something reflective (a walk, journaling, or something creative) during that time. Work is NOT an option during this phone-free Lent hour. 💚

Support your local library and read the print newspapers and magazines they subscribe to! My local even lets you check out past issues of magazines.

Resist and unsubscribe for lent - you get the added benefit of hurting some of the worst billionaires in our country. www.resistandunsubscribe.com

I've been there, and still do at times lol. It'll never stop challenging you, I can promise you that 😬

My archbishop always gives up hot drinks for Lent, esp tea, his favourite thing. I decided one year to try this expert-mode fast. That year was 2020. 🤪 I did make it through! But NEVER AGAIN.

I've given up SocMed for Lent, so I can't hear you...

Quit Twitter for lent (and beyond)?

The most Catholic thing about this post is the guilt (and apology that goes with it)

While not specifically for any religious reasons, more for mental health, I pause social media apps on Sundays.

I gave up religion for lent long ago, you should try it.

This social media post about giving up social media during Lent is getting a lot of engagement during Lent. 👍

If I do that.How will I stay in touch with god?

No need to apologize for Catholic post or a protestant post or a Buddhist post or a Muslim post or a Jewish post or a Hindu post.

I am instead trying to be more faithful in using as a means to find out about places that need donations, as we’re called to almsgiving during this time, too. Thank you for asking.

I deleted most social media apps from my phone so that my access still exists but is restricted to when I’m on my laptop or tablet. I have liked this arrangement. (This isn’t just a Lent thing for me - it’s all the time.)

I will gladly find a priest to absolve you from maintaining any abstinence of any media this Lenten season. Seriously. In this case, Democracy takes precedence over religion. Thank you!!!!!!!

Not for my job at all, but I kept going on Pinterest out of boredom, so for Lent, I limited my usage to once per day (unless I need a recipe or am looking at the single notification they sent me or something).

I've been culling "journalists" from my feed

Deleting IG off my phone has been amazing. I am forced to go on the web browser if I want to use it and the web browser user experience is awful so I'm never on there long. (Also keeping an "eff you to the tech overlords" mantra has helped to stay strong 😂) Good luck!

I've had some success with the various app blockers or even parental controls. I like scrollguard. Free version is decent, and like others you can get a trusted friend to assign a password to lock the app. Helps with accountability and the friendship 😅

You’ve been silent about your Alma Mater being homophobic and against the first amendment. @bostonu.bsky.social

I should. And I'm not even Catholic.

Uninstalled from the phone for Lent. When I get home, checking it all is not possible so I just check my catch up list, mostly. If I had to keep it for work, maybe I could just keep to the list? Got to be hard.

I left them when they told me who to vote for.

I like the idea of a knitting bean!

I’m cutting screen time and social media for LIFE not just lent 🤣 I can’t take this shit anymore.

Agnostic, so I don't gotta bother...

Go with the Pope's call for abstinence in Lent -- refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor.

I've had to cut screen time to manage my depression. Watching madmen disassemble my nation has not made me happy. Do the nation and the world a favor and find a way to become President.

I one time gave up Facebook specifically. (I'm not Catholic but I'm exposed enough to that I do it sometimes). It was pretty easy at the time tbh.

I deleted my favorite phone game for Lent and am missing it a lot more than I thought. Apparently I was playing it a LOT more than I realized. Not having access to it has encouraged me to do other things with the time, so it is working as intended.

Now is NOT the time to be off screen and/or social media. Especially for a sitting Congressperson.

Left Meta / X / Amazon / Paramount plus last year and haven’t looked back. Don’t need lent to inspire taking my money and time away from those entities.