7 Signs You’re Cheating On Your Spouse With Social Media

Travis and I met each other during the MySpace and Black Planet days (I’m never afraid to show my age)!  Social Media wasn’t nearly as social as it was today.  When we went on a date, the biggest distraction was the thought of whether we had enough money in our college checking accounts to pay the bill!

You would think since we know how connected we were in the BS (before Social Media) days, we would avoid the hype and vow to never make social media a distraction in our marriage! WRONG, he and I both are so guilty of having affairs with social media…Instagram scrolling, InstaStory watching, Snapchat tripping, Facebook discussing; I do it ALL! My job doesn’t have the best reception so I am blocked from social media during office hours.  The first week of being blocked, I was like an addict looking for a fix! Walking half a mile to the nearest restaurant just to get a connection to do a quick scroll (kind of addict).  It forced me to start looking at exactly how much time I really spend on social media.  If I’m being honest, if I count the # of times I pick up my phone to do a quick scroll combined with the # of times I dedicate time to actually interact on social media, I would probably  say 2 hours of each day is spent on social media.  That’s 14 HOURS per week! But I’m quick to tell my kids teachers I don’t have time to be the room mom! (Okay, to be honest social media doesn’t have anything to do with that decision), LOL but you get the point. I have more time to do the things I pretend I don’t have time to do!

PUT THE PHONE DOWN AND RECONNECT

7 signs you’re cheating on your spouse with social media too!

1. You can recall the 5 most recent “news stories” aka posts from Baller Alert, The Shade Room or even CNN (yes, we need to disconnect from real news sometimes too)
2. When your hubby or kids enter the room, you immediately put down the phone as if you’ve done something wrong
3. You take your phone in the closet or bathroom with you
4. Checking your phone is the 1st thing you do when you wake up in the morning
5. You post on any one personal social media platform more than 3 times per day
6. You find yourself getting annoyed even for a brief second because your hubby is asking you a question while you’re trying to get through the comments on a juicy thread
7. You sit in the car for 5 minutes or more, scrolling social media after arriving at your destination

End the love affair!

Now that I know the signs and am guilty of about 5 of them, it’s time to take steps to end this love affair!, And to put the phone down each day and truly connect with my family.  The one thing I started doing was social media blackout periods.  The first week I attempted this was an epic fail. I did a social media blackout every day from 6-8pm! Horrible mistake. Once I reconnected I spent even longer than I normally would “playing catch up” because I just knew I missed something. Now, I do two days a week + no social media during my weekday date night!

Another suggestion I’ve heard (by Fab Wife, Teyneil Ray) was to make the bedroom a no-phone zone. If you don’t use your phone as an alarm, that could work too in assuring you get a guaranteed moment of quality time with your hubby.

We live in a social media aged craze and more than likely, it’s the method you use to remain connected to family and friends from all over. But, too much of a good thing can become toxic. What steps have you taken to disconnect from social media?  I’d love to hear them. Comment below

Rhea