From Distraction to Devotion and Discovery: My Journey Through a 21-Day Prayer and Fast From Social Media
The Blessing of Breaking Away
On Sunday, January 5th, I was watching church online when the pastor mentioned the start of their 21-day prayer and fast. Now, typically, this is a Daniel Fast—where you follow a plant-based diet inspired by the book of Daniel (basically no meat, dairy, or processed foods). But the pastor said something that stuck with me: you can fast from anything that feels like a distraction, anything that pulls you away from God and would have the most impact on your relationship with Him.
In that exact moment, I felt God speak to me: “Fast from social media.” No planning, no prep—just one day before the fast started, I decided to jump in cold turkey and unplug. If you know me, you know I’m a planner. I don’t do anything without a solid plan, so the thought of diving into this unprepared had me a little anxious. I kept asking myself, “What am I even going to do for the next three weeks?” But looking back now, I can only thank God because this fast turned out to be exactly what I needed.
Refocusing on God and Myself
During those three weeks, my goal was simple: I wanted to focus on two relationships—my relationship with God and my relationship with myself. I wanted to spend more time in prayer, dive deeper into the Bible, and work on my faith. At the same time, I wanted to reconnect with me. I asked myself questions I hadn’t thought about in a long time: What do I actually enjoy? What makes me happy? What are some things I want to change or improve about myself?
I won’t lie—those first few days were tough. I couldn’t sleep because I was so used to scrolling until I passed out. I was bored. I’m not really a TV person unless I’m binging something specific, so I found myself sitting there thinking, What now? But then I realized this was an opportunity—a chance to step back and ask myself a powerful question:
If I could be exactly who I wanted to be—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually—what would that look like?
That’s when things started to shift. I got back into journaling, which felt so good for my mind and soul. I deep-cleaned my home to create a peaceful space. I started taking my dog on 1-2 mile walks and doing yoga again. I even rediscovered my creative side—something I hadn’t tapped into in a while—which led me to start this blog.
Discovering Clarity Without the Noise
Here’s the thing: before I could fully appreciate everything this fast was doing for me, I noticed one major shift—I suddenly had time. Time to think, time to breathe, time to actually live without all the noise of social media.
People always say, “Social media isn’t real,” and honestly, they’re not wrong. It’s full of imperfect people pretending to be perfect, opinions flying everywhere, and a lot of negativity (though, of course, there’s some funny and relatable stuff too). But taking a break from all that allowed me to think for myself. Every day, I woke up and lived life exactly how I wanted to, with no distractions or outside influences.
I didn’t worry about what other people were doing, posting, or achieving. I wasn’t posting anything to “prove” something to the world. Those three weeks gave me the freedom to focus on what really mattered—my relationship with God, my personal growth, and just being present.
Three Things I Learned
Looking back, I walked away from this fast with three big lessons:
Less time on social media is a blessing.
I hadn’t realized how much time I wasted scrolling until I stopped. Minutes turned into hours, and most of my day would just disappear. Without social media, my days felt so much longer. I had so much time to be present and do things that made me happy. I found a new therapist, joined a new church, and even started painting again—a hobby I hadn’t touched in over a year. It was like I finally had the space to breathe and just be.Social media affects our mental and emotional well-being more than we know.
Social media is low-key exhausting. Even when you’re not comparing yourself to others, all the opinions, drama, and constant content can weigh on you. Stepping away helped me feel lighter. I wasn’t worried about keeping up with anyone else, and I wasn’t absorbing anyone else’s negativity. It’s like my mind finally had room to relax and reset.Turn to God before your phone.
I’ll admit, I used to grab my phone to distract myself from whatever I was feeling. Instead of dealing with my thoughts, I’d scroll. But during this fast, I couldn’t do that. I had to sit with my emotions, pray, and lean on God. I spent time studying the New Testament, listening to sermons, and just sitting in silence, asking God to guide me. And He did. God showed me what this year could look like if I trusted Him fully—how everything I desire is possible if I keep Him at the center of it all. He reminded me that whenever I feel anxious or uncertain, He’s my first call.
