Nihon Nerd

OMG! I’m writing another blog? I AM writing another blog. AHH!

See? It never gets old. For me, at least. I’m sure it’ll get old for you. But, then again, if you read my daily ¥1000 Meals a Day posts, then you must be immune to redundancy. Congratulations! You should put that on your resume. Right next to “Hire me… Or else!” That’s a good way to show an employer you REALLY want the job. Because, if you don’t get it, what are you gonna do? Huh? Who wants to take that risk? I sure as hell don’t. I don’t trust you. You’re hired!

Speaking of trust, I never trust myself to write a new blog post, yet here I am. On a day when I don’t feel like writing either. Trooper, I am. Talk like Yoda, I do. Fun times, totes!

This week I’m gonna ramble about bubbles. Not to be confused with balloons. Balloons suck ass! STOP FLOATING! We get it; you can’t fall to the ground. Big whoop! You know what can’t float? BUBBLES! That’s right. Bubbles… Can float? SON OF A BITCH!

Whatever. I’m talking about figurative bubbles anyways. And how I put myself in one when I moved here by completely disconnecting myself from social media, real media, and just about everyone else. For realz. Let’s get into it…

Anti-Social Media

OK, first off – let me preface this blog by saying, yes, I used to work at Facebook. Ironic, I know; a reoccurring theme with me that I’ll get into in a future blog post. But before I say anything, I just want to state that I have a HUGE amount of love and respect for my old co-workers. And I absolutely LOVED working at Facebook and think the company does some really cool things. So just because I personally can’t use social media anymore doesn’t mean I think it’s bad that you do. Cool? Cool!

With that said, I QUIT USING FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM REGULARLY. For my personal accounts, that is! I obviously use both for my business. But I haven’t opened my personal Facebook to browse my News Feed since I’ve been here. And I don’t miss it. AT ALL. Y’know why? Because I COMPLETELY REMOVED reminders of the things that made me depressed back when I lived in America. Everything from relationships/families I don’t have, stupid shit the President is saying/doing, to horrific tragedies that seemingly happen on the daily. And it’s AWESOME. So, so awesome. Ignorance REALLY is bliss!

Yes, this means that I’ve completely blocked myself off from most media and information. Is that healthy? You may argue it isn’t. And I’m sure you’ll have some good reasons. But, well, I kinda don’t care. Scratch that – I 100% fully DON’T CARE. Social media isn’t healthy. Well, for me, at least. It may be fine for you. And if it is, that’s awesome! I’m jelly. I really I am. Because I do feel a little guilty that I’m not keeping up with the lives of my friends. I’m sure they’re doing some fun things. But I like to think about things like this: Do I want to experience something that is going to make me sad, lonely, or depressed? Or do I want to experience something that is going to inspire, motivate, or make me happy? Oh, gee – I WONDER WHICH ONE I’D CHOOSE. Hmm… Being sad sucks. Loneliness is the worst. And depression? No thanks. Guess I’ll go with option 2 then!

So that’s what I did. I unplugged myself from EVERYTHING, including the news. I have no clue what is going on in the world anymore. And I’m totally cool with that. This isn’t to say I don’t consume any media. In fact, quite the opposite. Daily, I read news about the following subjects: pro-wrestling, Disney, Metallica, and Star Wars. That’s right – all my favorite things! How is this possible? Well, the Google app somehow used my search queries or something to curate news for me every time I open the app. And, no joke, every day I get stories (and ONLY STORIES)  about those subjects above. It’s amazing! Because that’s ALL I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT. Do I care if I my friends had a fun date? Not really. I mean, good for them, but I couldn’t care less. Nor do I care that their dog is cute. I get it. Oh, your baby danced? Wow. PLEASE SHOW ME LESS. What about some shooting at a school? GOD NO. Or some douche-y celebrity is not-so-secretly a douche. DELETE! Wait… Are you telling me Trump is NOT A GOOD PERSON NOR A GOOD PRESIDENT? That’s it! I’m leaving America! Wait a minute…

I know this sounds incredibly selfish and close-minded, because, well, it is. But I know myself well enough at 35 (god, I’m old!) to know what is and isn’t going to make me happy. And, for me, avoiding all the bullshit that bums me the fuck out is going to make stupidly happy. So that’s why I quit social media and put myself in a bubble.

Has it worked? To a degree, yes. My overall wellbeing has significantly increased since I’ve moved here. But it ain’t perfect. Hell, I’m having a bad day today. But at least I’m not making it worse by reminding myself of all things that made me move here.

Takeaway: If you find that social media and/or the news is bumming you out, TAKE A BREAK. As best you can, obviously. I completely get not everyone can go down my extreme-as-all-hell rabbit hole. But try putting away your phone for a bit. Ignore binge-reading all the awful shit that’s going on in the world. And focus on something POSITIVE. For me, it’s my job and making people happy. When I get an email or message from a customer about how I made their day, that joy is SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER than seeing a friend post another goddamn picture of their dog or boyfriend or kid or whatever. Yeah, yeah – I know… This is coming from the person who posts the same cheap-ass food every day. I make no sense. But believe me… If I didn’t have to use social media to promote my business and keep myself relevant, I’d just quit it all. God, I sound like an old man. YOU SUCK, TOO, CLOUDS!

Sorry this entry wasn’t SUPER FUN. I’ll try to make next week’s blog a little livelier. Lol!

See y’all らいしゅう!